DECATUR COUNTY, IN — A Greensburg man received the maximum sentence in Decatur Circuit Court this week after pleading guilty to Dealing in a Controlled Substance (Level 4 felony).
Colton Imel (pictured) was sentenced by Judge Tim Day to 12 years in prison in connection with the August 2021 incident.
In a separate incident, Imel also entered a guilty plea to Theft (Level 6 felony) but was credited with the 6 1/2 months of time served in that case.
Prosecutors and Imel’s attorneys in February entered a plea agreement, which gave Judge Day sentencing discretion.
The judge had to decide how much time Imel would serve in prison in the Dealing in a Controlled Substance case versus time served in home detention.
Decatur County Prosecutor Nate Harter argued that all 12 years should be served in prison, citing Imel’s criminal history, which started early in life.
“This is a young man whose first major felony came when he was 13, and who had been adjudicated to have committed five crimes before he turned 18, including Dealing in a Controlled Substance as a B Felony, battery, strangulation, residential entry, and auto theft,” Harter said. “He was waived to adult court before he turned 18 and was convicted of Battery with Moderate Bodily Injury. Then before these two crimes, he was convicted of a separate gun offense after he turned 18. That history matters when we fashion a just sentence that will keep the public safe.”
Judge Day went along with the State’s recommendation.
Harter expressed satisfaction with the outcome.
“This case was originally charged as a Level 2 Felony, and the plea I offered took into account that Imel sought to take responsibility relatively early in the process,” Harter said. “Further, regarding the theft, he identified where the stolen gun was, which allowed us to ensure that nobody else is going to get hurt with it. That had some value as well.”
Harter praised Decatur County Sheriff’s Detective Jean Burkert, Greensburg Assistant Police Chief Brandon Meyer, other law enforcement officers from their respective agencies plus Indiana State Police, who worked together in putting together an investigation that led to a successful prosecution in the case.
