A Warsaw man found guilty of three charges in March learned this morning that he will spend several years in prison for his crimes.
Jerald Womack, 44, of Warsaw, was found guilty of resisting law enforcement (a Class A misdemeanor), possession of marijuana (a Class D felony), and being a habitual controlled substance offender by a six-person jury March 8 in Kosciusko Circuit Court.
Today, Kosciusko Circuit Judge Rex Reed handed down Womack's sentence for the crimes. Womack was sentenced to one year in prison for resisting law enforcement and three years in prison for possession of marijuana. Those sentences will be served consecutively.
Reed cited Womack's extensive criminal history as a mitigating factor in the sentence, mentioning Womack's 1979 felony conviction for theft in Kosciusko County, as well as convictions for various charges in California and Florida, as well as additional charges in Morgan and Kosciusko counties in Indiana.
For the charge of being a habitual controlled substance offender, Womack was sentenced to six years in prison. That sentence will be served concurrently with the other two sentences.
Womack could have been sentenced to up to eight years in prison for the charge.
"The eight-year sentence is saved for the worst of the worst offenders," said Judge Reed. "Mr. Womack borders on that consideration by the court. The aggravating factors (specifically Womack's criminal history) certainly justify the six-year period."
On March 8, Womack was found guilty of charges that stemmed from a July 13, 2006, incident.
Womack ran a stop sign and refused to stop when police attempted to perform a traffic stop. Instead, Womack led police on a low-speed chase and stopped at his own home.
Once at his home, Womack got out of the car and ran to a wooded area. A K-9 officer from Winona Lake found Womack in the woods and he was arrested without incident.
