By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews

Joel Craig Loftus

WARSAW — An Angola man received a three-year sentence, with a little over a year to serve behind bars, after stealing from Walmart and leading officers in a vehicle pursuit.

In the first case, Joel Craig Loftus, 38, 1100 Crestview Drive, Angola, was charged with resisting law enforcement, a level 6 felony; and possession of marijuana, a class B misdemeanor. Loftus was also charged with two counts of theft in a second case.

Loftus was sentenced in Kosciusko Superior Court Two on Wednesday, Dec. 9.

On April 7, 2019, a Warsaw Police officer noticed an expired sticker on a vehicle’s license plate. While attempting to pull the vehicle over, the vehicle being driven by Loftus fled, reaching speeds of up to 100 mph.

According to court documents, the chase went through Warsaw and Winona Lake and ended in Wabash County. Marijuana was also found in the vehicle.

On the same day as the police pursuit, a Walmart employee reported that Loftus and another man had stolen food and a handheld scanner from the store. The scanner was valued at $723.89 and the food was valued at $9.49. Officers were able to identify Loftus and the man through prior dealings.

During court proceedings, Defense Attorney Jon Tipton said Loftus had an underlying issue with methamphetamine use and encouraged the court to place Loftus into some type of rehabilitative program.

For resisting law enforcement, Kosciusko Superior Court 2 Judge Torrey Bauer sentenced Loftus to two years in prison, with one year executed and one year suspended on probation. Loftus also received a suspended six-month sentence for possession of marijuana. Both counts will be served concurrently, or at the same time.

For theft, Loftus was sentenced to one year in prison; two months of the sentence will be executed and the rest will be served through probation. Each case’s sentences will be served consecutively.

In total, Loftus will serve one year and two months behind bars; he will also spend one year and 10 months on probation.