GOSHEN – An Elkhart man received a total sentence of 13.5 years after admitting to possessing meth and a gun when he was arrested in November.
Steven Clark, 40, pleaded guilty Thursday to possession of methamphetamine as a Level 3 felony in Elkhart County Circuit Court. He also admitted to charges of unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, a Level 4 felony, and obstruction of justice and resisting law enforcement as Level 6 felonies.
He admitted in court that he had 39 grams of methamphetamine in his possession when police arrested him on November 30, 2023, and that he tried to flush some of the drugs down the toilet after police showed up at his door. He admitted that he had a gun at the time, despite not being allowed to own one due to a previous felony conviction.
Clark entered his plea ahead of a jury trial set for Feb. 17. The agreement stipulates a total sentence of 12 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections for counts one through three combined, and 18 months, all suspended on probation, for count four.
The four charges represent a possible prison sentence of 33 years in total.
Additional charges, including possession of marijuana as a Level 6 misdemeanor and driving while suspended as a misdemeanor, will be dismissed.
Judge Michael Christofeno accepted Clark’s plea and set sentencing for Oct. 31.
Clark was arrested after police received a tip around 1:12 a.m. on Nov. 30 that a man was in a room at a Cassopolis Street hotel on an arrest warrant. An arrest warrant had been issued a month earlier for an alleged probation violation in a 2022 conviction for misdemeanor strangulation and a Level 6 felony of battery and marijuana possession.
Police say they recognized Clark through the window and announced themselves with a knock on the door. He allegedly said he had to go to the toilet first and that he was trying to flush drugs, according to police.
Officers forced open the door and arrested him.
In addition to 1.05 pounds of marijuana in the room, they also found a revolver and a bag of meth, according to police. According to police, another bag containing small crystalline particles was also found in the toilet bowl.
