From Decatur County Prosecutor Nathan Harter
Rudi Harris was sentenced on February 15, 2023 by Judge Matthew Bailey in the Decatur Superior Court, after pleading guilty to Level 2 Felony Dealing in a Narcotic Drug. The parties entered a plea agreement in which Harris was sentenced to 14 years. Ten of those years will be served in prison, and four more were suspended to supervised probation.
The State was represented by Prosecuting Attorney Nate Harter in the case. Harter noted that Harris’s criminal history includes misdemeanor conversion, misdemeanor OWI, misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance, felony fraud, felony failure to return to lawful detention, numerous failures to appear for court and numerous failures
of probation.
“Dealing drugs includes sharing with your friends,” said Harter. “Dealing includes pooling your money with friends and one person driving to your source to get drugs for the whole group. Yes, it’s possible to be both addicted and a dealer.” A Level 2 Felony Dealing in a Narcotic Drug is subject to potential penalties from 10 to 30 years in prison,
with an advisory sentence of 17.5 years. Harter said, “Here, Ms. Harris acknowledged that she intended to share with other friends. That’s less morally guilty than the person making money or a business out of selling poison, which is why I acknowledge that a sentence toward the lower end of that spectrum was appropriate.”
Harter wants to recognize Lt. Derek Fasnacht as lead officer in the case, along with Detective Mike Colson, Sgt. Joe Radcliff, and EMS personnel. “This case began with a concerned citizen calling in what she believed to be drug use and potential intoxication in a public place, to which law enforcement responded. EMS participated in protecting the defendants, law enforcement, and the public from the powerful narcotics found on the scene. It was a great team effort to secure the evidence and confessions that led to this outcome.”
