The parents of a Plymouth toddler have been sentenced for neglect of a dependent and charges related to dealing and possession of methamphetamine, according to a press release provided by the Marshall County Prosecutor’s Office.
The Marshall County Undercover Narcotics Investigation Team reportedly executed a search warrant on a Plymouth residence belonging to William Geisleman on May 31st of 2018.
They were assisted by Deputies Nick Lafoon and Joseph Giodano from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department. Geisleman, his toddler daughter and the mother of the child, Seana Yost, were all present when the warrant was executed.
Upon entering Geisleman’s home, police apparently observed the toddler playing next to a table with uncapped, “loaded” hypodermic needles and a digital scale with drug residue. Authorities report that a loaded handgun was also within reach of the child.
The search of the home purportedly yielded more than 50 hypodermic needles, methamphetamine, marijuana, ecstasy pills, digital scales and other evidence of drug use and drug dealing.
According to the date that accompanies their mugshots, both Geisleman and Yost were booked into the Marshall County Jail that day.
Geisleman was sentenced by agreement on Wednesday, January 16 in Marshall Superior Court 1. Judge Robert O. Bowen approved the agreement between Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tami Napier and defense attorney Chris Berdahl.
Geisleman will serve 25 years imprisonment at the Indiana Department of Correction for pleading guilty to one count of the Level 2 felony of dealing methamphetamine and 6 years for one count of the Level 5 felony of neglect of a dependent. In open court, Geisleman admitted that he sold approximately 28 grams of methamphetamine at a location on Lake Avenue in Plymouth.
The press release states that an aggravating circumstance for prosecutors all along was that Geisleman was on parole from prison at the time of the filing of this case for dealing methamphetamine.
His lower level remaining counts were dismissed in exchange for his admission of guilt. In accordance with Indiana sentencing laws, the two sentences will run concurrently, which means at the same time.
Yost was sentenced in November of 2018. She
Information provided by the Prosecutor’s Office indicates that the substantial difference in sentences between Yost and Geisleman was justified in that Yost was more passive throughout the events of the crime, whereas Geisleman was the actual seller and he was on parole at the time for a prior offense. If you need domestic violence lawyers, you might want to check it out here!
Prosecuting Attorney Nelson Chipman complimented the thorough work of undercover detectives and the successful prosecution of the case. Undercover detectives work in cooperation with the Prosecutor’s Office to develop charges against methamphetamine dealers.
Chipman noted that criminal matters which directly involve children are even more rigorously prosecuted due to the extreme danger children experience in these environments.
Chief Deputy Prosecutor Napier added that methamphetamine dealing accounts for a significant amount of drug abuse, overdoses, child neglect and property crimes in our community so it is critically important to investigate and prosecute such cases aggressively.
