By Deb Patterson
InkFreeNews

Sherry Thomas

ELKHART COUNTY — Sherry L. Thomas, 556 W. Market St., Nappanee, entered a plea of guilty in Elkhart Superior Court 2 Monday, Dec. 5. She will be sentenced Jan. 3, 2023.

The plea agreement, conditionally accepted by the court, calls for all but one of the charges against Thomas be dropped. The only charge remaining is count VIII, arson, a level 4 felony. Additionally a charge of domestic battery will also be dismissed. The agreement calls for any executed time to served on community corrections through Michiana Community Corrections. All other terms are at the court’s discretion.

Thomas, along with Joseph D. Hershberger, same address, were both charged on Dec. 3, 2021, with eight counts of arson and one count of attempted contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Hershberger, who plead guilty through a plea agreement limiting the years served, was sentenced Nov. 21 to 50 years in prison and 46 years on parole.

The charges are in connection with fires on:

• April 13 – at 69576 CR 13, New Paris, and 23350 CR 38, Goshen
• April 27 – at 70383 CR 29, Syracuse
• May 3 – at 61524 CR 1, Elkhart
• July 28 – at an unknown location
• Sept. 18 – at 25444 CR 38, Goshen
• Sept. 19 – at 62045 CR 9, Goshen
• Oct. 1 — at 13394 CR 48, Syracuse, and 72648 CR 43, Syracuse.

Among those who owned property sustaining damage from the fires are John Smith, Dennis Culp, Gary Eby, Jacob Yoder, Nelson Martin, Daniel Imhoff, Brad Bobeck and Gary Weybright.

Both are wanted on arson charges in Kosciusko and Marshall counties on similar fires. The Kosciusko County charges are for fires April 26, 2021, near Milford, owned by Stuart Jackson, and barn fires on June 10, 2021, owned by Roger Boettger and Michael Mast. The Marshall County charges stem from a fire at an Amish School.