By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews

Robert Keith Powell

WARSAW — A Warsaw man was sentenced in three criminal cases that occurred in the last 18 months.

In the first case, Robert Keith Powell, 30, 524 E. Center St., Warsaw, was charged with false informing, a class B misdemeanor; and failure to appear, a level 6 felony. In the second case, Powell was charged with resisting law enforcement, a class A misdemeanor. Powell was also charged with residential entry and possession of methamphetamine, both level 6 felonies; and resisting law enforcement, a class A misdemeanor, in a third case.

Powell was sentenced in Kosciusko Circuit Court on Monday, Sept. 28.

On Dec. 14, 2018, Warsaw Police officers spotted a suspicious vehicle in the Deluxe Inn parking lot. According to court documents, Powell initially told officers his name was Anthony Powell and gave officers a false date of birth. While arresting Powell on two arrest warrants, officers found a digital scale containing a powder that field tested positive for methamphetamine. In regard to this case, Powell failed to appear for an initial hearing scheduled for Jan. 3, 2019.

On June 27, 2019, a Warsaw Police officer went to an undisclosed location regarding a person lying on the ground near a residence. The officer later discovered that the person, identified as Powell, had an active warrant for failure to appear. While searching Powell for weapons, Powell began resisting the officer by pulling his arms away.

According to court documents, the officer told Powell to stop resisting, but Powell refused to comply with police orders. While being placed in handcuffs, Powell continued to resist arrest by pushing and kicking officers with his legs.

On April 16, a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s officer was called to assist in locating Powell, who was a suspect in a domestic dispute.

Upon arriving in the area, the officer noticed a figure quickly enter a residence. A woman in the residence began screaming and said a man, later identified as Powell, had gone into the back room of the house. While attempting to secure Powell into custody, Powell would not follow verbal commands and at one point pulled away from the officer’s grasp.

According to court documents, the female homeowner said Powell left a backpack inside their residence. Officers found two small glass jars containing methamphetamine inside the backpack. The woman said Powell pushed the door in on her and that she did not know who Powell was.

For the first two cases, Powell was released on time served. In the third case, for residential entry, Powell was sentenced to one year in the Kosciusko County Jail. For possession of methamphetamine and resisting law enforcement, Powell was sentenced to six months in KCJ for each charge. All three charges will be served consecutively, with all of the sentence in the third case suspended on probation.