First of two defendants sentenced in rock-throwing case

One of two co-defendants charged with hurling rocks at unsuspecting motorists on U.S. 231 in southern Putnam County this past spring was sentenced Thursday morning to four years in jail.

Appearing before Putnam Circuit Court Judge Matt Headley, Jonathan J. Koeling, 26, who now resides in Bloomington, was sentenced to four years with two years of his sentence executed and two years on probation for his role in a string of rock-throwing incidents that damaged numerous vehicles in Putnam and Owen counties.

"This is beyond stupid," Judge Headley admonished Koeling in pronouncing sentence. "This is criminal.

"Having a rock hit your windshield is no small thing," the judge continued, "and you're chucking riprap. You're lucky something worse didn't happen."

Koeling was a passenger in a southbound vehicle driven by co-defendant Travis J. Lester, 23, Freedom, as the men tossed rocks onto northbound traffic last May 17. They are also facing 38 charges in 19 similar Owen County incidents.

Putnam County Prosecutor Tim Bookwalter asked Koeling how many cars were involved in the Putnam County cases.

"I'm not sure," Koeling responded.

"Eighteen or 20 sound about right?" Bookwalter countered.

Koeling wasn't certain since the acts took place over a week-long period, although the Putnam cases that brought 11 charges of criminal recklessness or conspiracy to commit criminal recklessness actually all occurred the same day.

According to court records, the two defendants told investigators they had thrown between 50 and 100 rocks at northbound traffic during the week.

Although Lester is alleged to be the person who threw most of the rocks, Bookwalter detailed Koeling's participation in the incidents.

"He helped get rocks at work," the prosecutor said, indicating Koeling kept the rocks he collected at a Greencastle factory in a stocking cap, "handing them to the driver, who was pitching them out.

"He (Koeling) threw one or two over (the car roof) but the driver was mostly the one pitching the rocks out."

The prosecutor said the inexplicable series of rock-throwing incidents "defies description."

"I don't know what might have been going through their heads," he offered, "Just for fun, I guess."

Bookwalter reminded Headley that the judge was deputy prosecutor when the Interstate 70 rock-throwing incident that killed Marsa Gipson occurred Aug. 27, 1991.

"We've been chasing that case for 25 years," Bookwalter added. "That shows you what can happen.

"You start out throwing rocks for fun and you don't know what might happen," he added, explaining that luckily one victim was wearing glasses when a rock shattered his windshield or glass would have cut his eyes.

By plea agreement, Koeling pleaded guilty to six counts of criminal recklessness, and the state dismissed five counts of conspiracy to commit criminal recklessness. All the counts were Level 6 felonies carrying a sentencing range of 6-30 months.

Koeling, who thus far has done 104 days in the Putnam County Jail, is scheduled to serve 201 more actual days there as a result of Thursday's sentence.

He also will be required to pay $1,959 in restitution to one of the victims.

Lester, who has yet to appear in Putnam Circuit Court, has also been charged in Owen County and bonded out of jail there.

The Putnam cases involved northbound vehicles driven by Colleen Logsdon, 47, Spencer, a 2008 Pontiac G6; Barbara Vantassel, 59, Worthington, a 2009 Ford Focus; John A. Vellinga, 62, St. Charles, Mo., a 2011 Cadillac SUV; Daniel A. Mosbarger, 22, Lake Bluff, Ill., a 2004 Honda SUV; and Victoria Pflueger, 68, Brazil, vehicle not specified in court documents.

The Logsdon incident occurred as she was turning northbound onto U.S. 231 from State Road 42, south of Cloverdale, while the Vantassel incident happened between County Roads 1300 South and 1200 South.

The Vellinga and Mosbarger incidents took place near County Road 800 South, while the Pflueger case occurred just north of U.S. 40.

In the course of his investigation, local authorities worked with Owen County deputies who had been investigating similar incidents, learning that Lester and Koeling were in custody at the Owen Security Center and had admitted to throwing objects from their car while driving on U.S. 231 between U.S. 40 in Putnam County and State Road 67 in Owen County.

The break in the case came when Owen County Sheriff Sam Hobbs was driving his personal vehicle northbound on U.S. 231 and it was struck by a rock thrown by the driver of a southbound vehicle.

Sheriff Hobbs called out a description of the suspect vehicle and deputies quickly intercepted it, stopping the suspects at the intersection of U.S. 231 and State Road 67.