Pierceton Man To Serve Six-Year Sentence Locally After Burglarizing Silver Lake Business
By Liz Adkins
InkFreeNews
Shawn Douglas Elder
WARSAW — A Pierceton man will serve a six-year sentence locally after burglarizing a Silver Lake business.
Shawn Douglas Elder, 31, 8280 E. US 30 Lot 103, Pierceton, was sentenced for burglary, a level 5 felony; and theft where the value of property is between $750 and $50,000, a level 6 felony. Five additional criminal charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.
Elder was sentenced in Kosciusko Superior Court One on Thursday, Sept. 5.
For burglary, Kosciusko Superior Court One Judge Karin McGrath sentenced Elder to four years in the Indiana Department of Correction. McGrath said she had no objection to Elder serving the sentence through the Kosciusko County Work Release Program. Elder also received a two-year DOC sentence for theft, with the entirety of that sentence suspended on probation. Both of Elder’s sentences will be served back-to-back.
In total, Elder received a six-year sentence, with four years executed and two years suspended on probation. The sentence will also be served back-to-back to four misdemeanor cases.
Elder has 15 days of jail time credit. He must pay a total of $11,004.05 in restitution to several victims, including Kerlin Motorsports in Silver Lake. Elder was also trespassed from Kerlin Motorsports.
At sentencing, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Joseph Sobek said Elder’s criminal history was “revealing,” describing it as a “long road with multiple convictions and multiple times where he should have sought the help he needs.”
“Real people and businesses in the community were harmed by this,” said Sobek. “Substance abuse doesn’t excuse these offenses.”
Sobek requested Elder serve a four-year executed sentence.
Defense Attorney Nicholas Jacobs said Elder has a substance abuse problem and has taken steps to address it by applying for participation in Serenity House. Jacobs requested Elder serve the executed portion of his sentence through Kosciusko County Community Corrections while residing at Serenity House. He said Elder was approved for both work release and Serenity House.
Elder said he realized his actions had a negative impact on his family.
“My problem with addiction led to poor decision-making,” said Elder.
McGrath noted Elder has no history of violent crimes and encouraged him to seek rehabilitation for substance abuse.
“Drugs make you do dumb things,” said McGrath. “Every single day you’re alive, you’ve had the chance for rehabilitation.”
On Feb. 13, a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a burglary report at Kerlin Motorsports in Silver Lake. Employees said they noticed the business was missing generators from a back storage barn.
According to court documents, one of the employees found a Facebook Marketplace ad for generators identical to the ones stolen from the business. The generators were valued between $800 and $1,500 each.
That same day, two KCSO detectives arranged to purchase one of the generators and met with two men at a residence in Peru. The detectives verified the generator’s serial number matched a stolen one from Kerlin Motorsports. The men said Elder contacted them via social media and asked if they would trade their vehicle for another vehicle and several generators, which they agreed to.
In an interview on Feb. 16, Elder said he traded his vehicle and three generators for a different vehicle. He also admitted to stealing a gas can, drilling holes in three vehicles’ gas tanks at Kerlin Motorsports, and using the gas can to collect the gas. In total, the cost to repair the three vehicles’ gas tanks was $3,782.
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