04/26/13 Joshua B. Baughman, 23, of Angola was sentenced on April 18 in Marshall Superior Court 1 to 10 years imprisonment for manufacturing methamphetamine. In open court, Baughman admitted that on September 17, 2012 he assisted in the manufacture of methamphetamine in a vehicle driving along US 30 in which he was a passenger.
A Pro-tem Judge approved the plea agreement reached between Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney E. Nelson Chipman, Jr. and defense attorney Jeffery Houin, which provided for a sentence at the Indiana Department of Corrections of 10 years of imprisonment. Two years of the sentence was suspended.
The case began at approximately 8:00 a.m. on September 17 when a concerned citizen called the Marshall County 911 Dispatch Center to report a vehicle driving erratically on US 30. Lt. James Strong of the Indiana State Police was the nearest responding officer and spotted vehicle near the Plymouth Wal Mart. He stopped the vehicle which had four individuals inside.
The vehicle had recently been reported stolen from the Ft. Wayne area. Two of the individuals gave misinformation about their identities and all denied knowing the vehicle was stolen. Several items related to the manufacture of methamphetamine were discovered in the car, as was a “one-pot reaction vessel.” Two individuals denied any knowledge of the methamphetamine making operation, and the other two accused each other as the responsible cook of the meth.
Baughman is the third person of the four to be sentenced. The fourth individual, Dana Moon, is scheduled to be sentenced on May 8, 2013, having already plead guilty to Manufacturing Methamphetamine.
Assisting Lt. Strong in the investigation, arrest and successful prosecution of Baughman were several officers from the Plymouth Police Department, the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department, the Indiana State Police and the Marshall County Prosecutor’s Office. Also to be commended is the citizen that called 911 to report the erratic driving in the first place.
