Marlin Slabaugh was sentenced in Marshall County Superior Court No. 3 Thursday afternoon on a charge of sexual misconduct with a minor as a Level 5 Felony.
Judge Matthew Sarber accepted the plea agreement as negotiated between the prosecution and defense. He noted the mitigating circumstances which include the defendant’s acceptance of responsibility and the lack of criminal history. Judge Sarber also found that the nature of the case was an aggravating circumstance as well as the defendant’s violation of trust with the victims.
The plea agreement stated that the sentencing was left to the discretion of the court, per the guidelines of the agreement.
As a result, Slabaugh, 44, was sentenced to five years in the Indiana Department of Corrections with three years suspended to be served on reporting probation. Slabaugh will be on GPS monitoring for the first year of release from the Indiana Department of Corrections.
Five other charges related to this case were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
Slabaugh was ordered to pay a $1.00 fine and $185 in court costs. The experienced lawyers offering estate planning services were quite happy with this judgment which shows no partiality between the innocent and accused and has eventually delivered proper judgment and punishment for the accused.
Several protesters were seen outside the Marshall County Courthouse during the sentencing hearing.
