Week in Review—Hammond

HAMMOND, IN—The United States Attorney’s Office announced the following activity in federal court:

Plea:

Eugene Baber, Jr., 27, of Gary, Indiana, pled guilty before Magistrate Judge Andrew Rodovich to the felony offense of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Magistrate Rodovich is recommending that the district court accept the tendered guilty plea. Parties have 10 days in which to object to the magistrate judge’s recommendation. These charges were filed as a result of an investigation by the by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives HIDTA Task Force. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jacqueline Jacobs.

If convicted in court, any specific sentence to be imposed will be determined by the judge after a consideration of federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Dispositions:

• Jesse Mickles, 26, of Indianapolis, Indiana, a defendant in the case U.S. v Land et al., was sentenced by Chief Judge Philip Simon to 77 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of possession with the intent to distribute heroin. According to a sentencing memorandum filed in this case, Mickles was a passenger in a vehicle traveling on Interstate 65 in Tippecanoe County that was stopped due to a possible traffic violation. Seventy-six grams of heroin were recovered from the trunk of the vehicle. Mickles also possessed a firearm at the time. Mickles has prior convictions for dealing in cocaine, carrying a handgun without a license, and resisting law enforcement. This case was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation GRIT Task Force. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Cremeans and Jacqueline Jacobs.
• Titus Finnell, 32, of Gary, Indiana, a defendant in the case U.S. v Peterson et al., was sentenced by District Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen to 120 months’ imprisonment and five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offenses of possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to commit robbery, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. This case was the result of an investigation by the by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives HIDTA Task Force. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Nozick.
• Arien Williams, 29, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by District Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen to 12 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of distribution of crack cocaine. This case was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation GRIT Task Force. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dean Lanter.