Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Roberto Villa might be able to celebrate Memorial Day in six years.
Villa, 25, of Saemann Apts. #13, Smith Street, Milford, was sentenced Friday afternoon in Kosciusko Circuit Court to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty last month to dealing cocaine. He was charged with the offense as a Class A felony, but a guilty plea to the offense as a Class B felony was accepted, lowering the possible maximum prison sentence from 50 years to 20 years.
Kosciusko County Prosecuting Attorney Charles Waggoner asked Circuit Court Judge Rex Reed to impose the 20-year maximum, but Reed considered mitigating circumstances to determine the 15-year sentence. Three years of the term were suspended for probation, with Villa ordered to serve 12 years of incarceration. Under Indiana law, a prisoner receives one day off his sentence for each day served with good behavior. Therefore, Villa could be released in less than six years. He has already served 220 days in the Kosciusko County Jail.
Villa was arrested Oct. 21 after undercover officers raided his residence. Police waited outside the Villa home as a confidential informant went inside to purchase cocaine. The man was able to procure one-quarter ounce of cocaine for $440.
A search of the house after Villa's arrest netted another 3 grams of cocaine and about $6,000 in cash.
At the time of Villa's arrest, an undercover officer said that Villa was "the guy" in Kosciusko County cocaine sales. Authorities spent more than a year building a case against Villa and made four previous purchases from him.
Reed said he considered Villa's criminal history - one felony and five misdemeanor convictions - as an aggravating factor in rendering his judgment.
Among mitigating factors, Reed said, he looked at the fact that Villa "didn't mess around with the system" and spend taxpayer dollars on a lengthy trial.
"There's something to be said for the fact that you admitted you were wrong once they had the goods on you," Reed said.
Despite evidence of mitigating circumstances, Reed said aggravating factors outweighed those and opted to impose a 15-year sentence - five years more than defense attorney Jeff Sandford of South Bend asked for and five years less than Waggoner was seeking.
Villa also was ordered to make restitution to the Kosciusko County Special Operations Team and to pay a drug interdiction fee of $200, a fine of $100 and court costs. Once he is released from prison and placed on probation, Villa must pay a $50 initial and $15 monthly probation user's fee and submit to random drug and alcohol testing.
