Porter County Courts
June 18, 2012 6:00PM
Updated: June 18, 2012 8:40PM
Portage
Cocaine nets man 10 years’ jail time
Allegedly selling cocaine twice to Porter County Drug Task Force agents is leading to a 10-year sentence for a Portage man.
Jeffrey Frank VanAutreve made a plea to Class B felony dealing in cocaine for May 2008 incidents in exchange for the sentence Monday in Porter County Superior Court.
Another two years to be served consecutive to that will come from VanAutreve violating his parole on a Class D felony intimidation conviction.
He’s scheduled for a July 16 sentencing in Porter County Superior Court 1.
Pair smoked pot in front of toddler
A man and woman from Portage have been accused of smoking marijuana in front of a 3-year-old in their Camelot Manor mobile home.
Marque Alijah Haney, 22, and Alicia Marie Haskin, 22, are each charged in Porter County Superior Court with Class D felony neglect of a dependent, Class D felony maintaining a common nuisance and misdemeanor possession of marijuana.
The D felonies each carry sentences of up to three years. Their trials are both set for Nov. 14, and both are set to next appear in court Aug. 14.
Police discovered the situation June 6.
VALPARAISO
Man accused of stealing Cadillac
Taking another man’s vehicle home without permission resulted in an auto theft charge for a Valparaiso man.
Thomas A. Grasso, 21, faces up to three years in prison after being charged with the Class D felony.
Grasso’s accused of taking a white Cadillac Cimmaron on June 12 from a place in Valparaiso and driving it to his part of the city.
He’s being held on $8.500 bail bond in Porter County Jail.
Kouts
Drugs buys alerted police to meth lab
One of three men charged in connection with an alleged methamphetamine manufacturing operation in Kouts received a 10-year sentence Monday in Porter Superior County Court.
The sentence for Jeffrey Lynn Gast, 54, was split between six years in prison and four on probation, as part of a plea to Class B felony manufacturing of methamphetamine he made earlier this year.
Police got a warrant to search Gast’s Kouts home in January 2011 after his name showed up in pharmaceutical records for buying more than 3 grams of pseudoephedrine in less than a month.
As part of his plea, the prosecution dropped charges of Class C felony possession of methamphetamine and a firearm, Class D felony possession of precursors and Class D felony maintaining a common nuisance.
