Sentencing set for Hoover
A Dec. 22 sentencing date has been set for a Greencastle man accused of having been involved in the Dec. 15, 2007 accidental death of a Greencastle High School senior.
Scotty B. Hoover, 24, was charged with Class A felony dealing in a schedule II controlled substance, Class B felony dealing in a schedule IV controlled substance and Class C felony contributing to the delinquency of a minor in connection with the death of 17-year-old Dietrich Jackson.
Under the terms of a plea agreement, the Class A felony charge against Hoover would be reduced to a B felony, and he would plead guilty to that charge along with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The dealing in a Class IV controlled substance count would be dropped.
The agreement also stipulates that sentencing will be left up to the court and that the two counts will run concurrently.
Judge Matthew Headley told Hoover and Hoover's attorney, Denny Bridges, that he would take the plea agreement under advisement.
Class B felonies are punishable by up to 20 years in prison, and the maximum sentence for a C felony is eight years. Should Hoover receive the maximum penalty for both charges, he could be out of prison in 10 years with Indiana good time credit.
Hoover was arrested on Jan. 17. His bond was set at $50,000 cash only, and he has remained in jail since his arrest.
Jackson died in the early morning hours of Dec. 15, 2007 after overdosing on prescription drugs the night before. Hoover is accused of providing some of the drugs -- Xanax and oxymorphone -- that led to Jackson's death.
Court records said Hoover crushed pills so Jackson could snort them. A juvenile who was with Jackson the night before Jackson died told police Jackson lost consciousness five or 10 minutes after snorting the pills and was in and out of consciousness over the next couple of hours.
Toxicology reports showed that Jackson had Tetrahydrocannabinol (the main psychoactive substance in marijuana, commonly referred to as THC), the anti-anxiety drug Xanax, the powerful semi-synthetic opioid analgesic oxymorphone and alcohol in his system at the time of his death.
Putnam County Coroner Thomas Miller said in January the oxymorphone, which is six to eight times more potent than morphine, was likely the cause of Jackson's death.