From Decatur County Prosecuting Attorney Nathan Harter
Traci Minniear was sentenced May 25 by Judge Matthew Bailey in the Decatur Superior Court, after pleading guilty on March 28th, for the crime of Level 2 Felony Dealing in Methamphetamine. Pursuant to a plea agreement between the parties, Minniear will serve a ten year sentence in the Indiana Department of Correction. Consistent with the plea agreement, Judge Bailey allowed two years to be served as an executed sentence on home detention. Judge Bailey also permitted Minniear to participate in the Recovery While Incarcerated program while in prison.
Prosecuting Attorney Nate Harter represented the State in this case, and expressed satisfaction with the negotiated sentence. “Ms. Minniear negotiated a better deal than some dealers because she told the investigating officers the truth and accepted responsibility early in the process, at only the second time she came to court. In addition, she has a limited criminal history in Indiana. When paired with her history out of state, including robbery with a gun and prior dealing offenses and the serious nature of trafficking in controlled substances, this is an appropriate outcome.”
According to publicly available records, Ms. Minniear’s encounter with law enforcement began with a simple traffic stop regarding her license plate, which returned as stolen. Officer Stephen Hershberger decided to request Sgt. Chris Bridges and K9 Officer Echo respond and perform a free-air sniff. When K9 Echo indicated the presence of controlled substances in the car, law enforcement searched and found 14 grams of methamphetamine split into corner cut baggies, a pipe, and scales.
Confronted with this discovery, Minniear acknowledged that she was delivering the methamphetamine to friends of hers in Greensburg. The baggies totaled over 14 grams of methamphetamine and field-tested positive for methamphetamine.
Decatur County Prosecuting Attorney Nate Harter wants to recognize law enforcement personnel for their hard work on this case, specifically lead officer on the case Stephen Hershberger and Sgt. Chris Bridges, as well as now-retired K9 Officer Echo.
Said Harter, “Many people don’t realize that even delivery of drugs is considered a dealing offense in Indiana. I hope this is a mistake Ms. Minniear doesn’t make again. At the very least, I feel confident she won’t do it in Decatur County anymore.”
