Sentencing in Decatur Circuit Court in a matter involving domestic battery

From Decatur County Prosecuting Attorney Nathan Harter

Jonathon Johns was sentenced by Judge Tim Day in the Decatur Circuit Court in two separate cause numbers. Johns was found guilty of Domestic Battery after a jury trial in early April, and not guilty of Robbery. Because of his prior convictions, judgment of conviction was entered as a Level 6 Felony. In the other cause number, Johns pleaded guilty to Nonsupport of a Dependent Child, also a Level 6 Felony, in addition to being an Habitual Offender. 

Sentencing was totally open to Judge Day in the Domestic Battery cause, and Judge Day’s only guidelines in the Nonsupport of a Dependent cause were that the sentence could not exceed 1,170 days total. 

The State, represented by Prosecuting Attorney Nate Harter, argued for 900 days in prison for the Domestic Battery and 1,170 days in prison for the Nonsupport and Habitual Offender. Harter pointed to the evidence presented at trial, Johns’s significant criminal history, and the very large $20,000+ arrearage on his child support obligation. 

Johns has prior convictions for Attempted Robbery as a Class C Felony in 1991, Sexual Misconduct with a Minor as a Class B Felony in 1998, Battery Resulting in Bodily Injury as a Class D Felony in 2014, Unlawful Possession of a Syringe as a Level 6 Felony, and Possession of Methamphetamine as a Level 6 Felony in 2016, among other misdemeanors like Resisting Law Enforcement, Invasion of Privacy, multiple Batteries, Check Deception, Conversion, Possession of Marijuana, and Public Intoxication.

Argument was heard on both sides, and ultimately Judge Day sentenced Johns to 900 days in the domestic battery case and 1,000 days in the Nonsupport of a Dependent Child case.

Said Harter, “I am so grateful for the victim in the battery case for having the courage to tell her story for the jury. Hearing her say she is pleased with the outcome is immensely rewarding and makes the hours of preparation worth every second. I would also be remiss if I didn’t thank Deputy Prosecutor Elizabeth Lecher Hochstedler for serving as co-counsel in the case. I am so proud to have her on the team and excited for her future.”

Harter also wants to thank GPD Officer Mitch Tuttle, Sgt. Joe Radcliff, former Sheriff’s Deputy Nick Hadler, and DCPO Child Support Office Manager Shelley Warfield for their work to secure these convictions. “I should also pause to express gratitude to the public here. Four different witnesses stopped what they were doing, reported what they saw to the police, and ultimately testified at trial. Without their aid, this conviction would have been much more difficult. I hope this community continues to stick up for what’s right when they see something wrong.”

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