Carter Receives Probation For Setting Vehicle On Fire
By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews
Jodi C. Carter
WARSAW — A Claypool woman will serve three years on probation for setting a relative’s vehicle on fire.
Jodi C. Carter, 45, 3267 W. Hill Lake Road, Claypool, was charged with arson, a level 6 felony, as a lesser included offense of arson, a level 4 felony; and possession of methamphetamine, a level 5 felony.
Carter was sentenced in Kosciusko Superior Court One on Thursday, Jan. 18.
For arson, Kosciusko Superior Court One Judge Karin McGrath sentenced Carter to two years in the Indiana Department of Correction. Carter also received a three-year DOC sentence for meth possession. Both charges will be served at the same time.
The entirety of Carter’s three-year sentence was suspended on probation. She has 13 days of jail time credit. Carter must also pay $3,000 in restitution to the vehicle’s owner, who testified in support of Carter.
The owner said Carter was voluntarily going to counseling.
“Her being sober has made a huge difference in the last year,” said the owner. “It’s more important to me that she continue to seek help, that’s way more important than property.”
At sentencing, Defense Attorney Jay Rigdon said Carter was eligible to participate in community corrections.
“It’s not too often when you have a victim come forward in a case like this and say the defendant matters more than their property,” said McGrath.
On Jan. 23, 2023, emergency personnel responded to a vehicle fire at a Claypool residence. A relative of Carter’s said Carter threatened to burn and “blow up” the vehicle two weeks prior to her setting it on fire.
According to court documents, after a three-hour standoff, Carter was taken into custody. Upon searching Carter’s person, officers found meth and a cigarette lighter.
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