Judge gives Roachdale woman two years

A Roachdale woman will spend the next several months at an Indiana Department of Corrections facility after receiving a three-year sentence for theft.

On Monday, Putnam County Circuit Court Judge Matthew Headley sentenced Jonella K. Wallace, 51, to three years -- two years executed at the DOC and one year on probation -- on a Class D felony theft charge.

Three years was the maximum sentence Headley could have imposed on Wallace.

"Maybe that will make you quit stealing," Headley told Wallace.

With Indiana good time credit, Wallace's sentence will be reduced by one day for each day she spends in prison without incident. She will also receive credit for the 145 days she has spent in the Putnam County Jail.

The charge against Wallace stems from an Oct. 14 incident in which she attempted to walk out of the Greencastle Wal-Mart store with $577 worth of merchandise for which she did not pay. She was booked into the Putnam County Jail that day.

At an initial hearing on Oct. 16, Wallace's bond was set at $15,000 with 10 percent allowed. She requested and was granted a bond reduction on Dec. 4, and she posted 10 percent of a $5,000 bond and was released.

That bond was revoked after two charges of Class D felony theft against Wallace were filed in Montgomery County on Feb. 3. Those charges are still pending. Wallace was re-arrested and booked back into jail on Feb. 17, where she was ordered held without bond.

Under the terms of a plea agreement, Wallace was not deemed a habitual offender. Such a designation could have significantly increased Wallace's sentence.

Wallace's prior criminal history includes convictions for misdemeanor operating while intoxicated, probation violation and check deception, as well as felony illegal acquisition of a controlled substance.