Mark Alan Ring has pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 11 years by Judge Tim Day in the Decatur Circuit Court for Possession of Methamphetamine, a Level 4 Felony, and for being an Habitual Offender under Indiana law.
Ring was originally pulled over in a November 2020 traffic stop by GPD’s Brandon Meyer, now the Assistant Chief. That stop escalated into a drug investigation with several search warrants, ultimately yielding the large quantity of methamphetamine that Ring pleaded guilty to possessing. During the investigation, law enforcement learned that Ring has a lengthy felony criminal history out of California.
Prosecuting Attorney Nate Harter represented the State in this case. “This plea agreement reflects the seriousness of possessing the amount of methamphetamine Mr. Ring had, but also highlights the consequences for committing crimes in Decatur County when you already have a long criminal history.”
Mr. Ring received an agreed sentence of three years for the possession offense, enhanced by an additional eight years for being an Habitual Offender, for a total sentence of eleven years, all of which will be executed at the Indiana Department of Correction.
Decatur County Prosecuting Attorney Nate Harter wants to recognize law enforcement personnel for their hard work on this case, specifically lead investigator on the case Assistant Chief Meyer and Officers Gross and Hershberger.
Said Harter, “Vigilant law enforcement uncovers crime, and here Assistant Chief Meyer trusted his instincts to turn a routine traffic stop into a large-scale drug bust on a criminal whose career spans four decades. This was a great win for law enforcement and for Decatur County.”
