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Judge addresses Greencastle man's half-dozen felony counts
A 36-year-old Putnam County man, facing six felony charges ranging from dealing in methamphetamine to auto theft, couldn't resist a little gallows humor during his initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon.
As Putnam Superior Court Judge Denny Bridges perused the paperwork preceding James Curtis Davis' appearance in court, he was struck by the home address provided for the defendant.
"It says your address is Morgan County Jail," Bridges noted. "I trust that's not correct. What's your current address?"
"Putnam County Jail," responded Davis, clad in the distinctive inmate orange from PCJ.
After chuckling to himself and getting a like response all around the courtroom, Davis followed up with "13 Keightly Road," which is the street address of the local jail.
Finally admitting to a Greencastle address, Davis listened as Judge Bridges restored order and seriousness by reading the six felony counts against the defendant:
-- Dealing in methamphetamine, a Class B felony, punishable by 6-20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
-- Forgery, a Class C felony, punishable by 2-8 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
-- Auto theft, a Class D felony, punishable by six months to three years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
-- Two counts of theft, another Class D felony.
-- Fraud, another Class D felony.
The judge entered not-guilty pleas on behalf of Davis, ordering him held on $30,000 cash bond and setting a pretrial conference in the case for 9 a.m. Feb. 26.
Davis was picked up by Putnam County authorities earlier this week after completing a jail sentence in Morgan County.
His co-defendant in the case, Tonya L. Anderson, did not appear in court with Davis Wednesday. She is facing five felony counts, two of theft and one each of forgery, conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy to commit dealing in meth.
According to court documents, Davis and Anderson were occupying the apartment of Glen Claxton at 3804 S. U.S. 231 South with the consent of Claxton while he was serving time in jail.
While the couple were at the Claxton residence, they were arrested for cooking meth and were charged with auto theft for reportedly stealing both of Claxton's vehicles (a red 1993 Ford Mustang and a 1992 pickup truck).
They were also charged with theft for allegedly stealing and cashing some of Claxton's checks (totaling $1,680) without permission. The pair also were charged with committing fraud for reportedly stealing the neighbors' identities and subsequently using them to make Internet purchases.
The incidents began in late July while Claxton was incarcerated and escalated in mid-August when authorities began receiving complaints from a neighbor that she could smell "peculiar odors" coming from the adjacent apartment and said that Davis and Anderson were cooking meth.
The defendants reportedly also had asked the same neighbor to borrow charcoal lighter fluid, Sudafed and coffee filters, all of which are known to play a part in the manufacture of methamphetamine.
During an investigation of the apartment after Davis and Anderson initially fled, Putnam County Sheriff's Department deputies recovered a debit card and a class ring, both of which belonged to occupants of the neighboring apartment.
When Det. Pat McFadden traced the stolen Claxton Mustang to a Mooresville address, he reported finding it still packed with Davis' belongings. The detective also noted that a computer owned by Claxton was in plain view inside the car.
Davis was originally arrested by Morgan County authorities and jailed at Martinsville on charges of false informing and visiting a common nuisance.