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Greencastle man faces dealing meth resulting in death charge
The very first Putnam County use of a relatively new state law could put a 41-year-old Greencastle man behind bars for 40 or more years.
Making his initial appearance in court Wednesday afternoon, Jacob N. Skinner became the first person in Putnam County ever charged with dealing in methamphetamine causing death, a Level 1 felony punishable by 20-40 years in prison.
Putnam County Prosecutor Tim Bookwalter said Indiana enacted the law on July 1, 2019, confirming that Wednesday’s charges against Skinner in Putnam Superior Court was his office’s initial use of the law that makes it a Level 1 felony for dealing in a controlled substance that results in the death of a person.
In the Skinner case, the charge is specifically delivering methamphetamine, fentanyl and/or acetylfentanyl, which when used, injected, inhaled, absorbed or injected resulted in the death of Scott Aaron McKnight, 50, Cloverdale, in a May 14 incident at the County Road 825 East residence of Scott and Cheryl L. McKnight.
The three drugs -- methamphetamine, fentanyl and acetylfentanyl -- were listed as the cause of death in an autopsy report from the Department of Pathology Forensic Medical Examiner at Terre Haute Regional Hospital.
Skinner was also charged Wednesday with habitual offender status, an enhancement that could add 6-20 years to his sentence.
During Skinner’s initial appearance in court before Judge Denny Bridges Wednesday afternoon, Prosecutor Bookwalter told the court, “There will be some more charges coming.”
And come they did Thursday as the prosecutor filed charges against Skinner for possession of a firearm after a felony conviction, dealing in meth, possession of meth, possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia.
The prosecutor explained that when Skinner was arrested, he was found with drugs on him. Authorities then were granted a search warrant for his residence and allegedly discovered 30 grams of methamphetamine, scales and a .22 caliber rifle.
Putnam County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the McKnight residence at 12:32 a.m., on May 14 finding an unconscious male not breathing, along with an unconscious female, Cheryl McKnight, 40.
Sgt. Riley Houghton located the female and administered a dose of Naloxone to her.
About a minute later, the female victim recovered and was transported to Putnam County Hospital. Attempts to revive the male victim, however, were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel.
In the probable cause affidavit filed in the case, it was noted that Skinner was also in the room and told deputies he had administered Naloxone to McKnight about 45 minutes earlier
Sgt. Houghton noted that “due to Mrs. McKnight’s confused state, she was unable to provide me with information as to what happened or what (she and her husband) had ingested.” Later at the hospital, she described Skinner reportedly putting out three lines of a substance she believed to be heroin and that she and her husband snorted the drug off the dining room table.
She further explained that she remembered waking up after the Narcan dose and seeing deputies and medical personnel in the home.
Downloading information from the cellphones of Skinner and others, authorities have been able to string together the involvement of multiple people in drug activity, according to conversations that began May 11, leading up to the fatal May 14 incident.
In filing the notice to seek habitual criminal offender status against Skinner, Prosecutor Bookwalter listed three prior unrelated substance convictions, as required by law, including two in Putnam County and one in Vigo County.
Skinner has been previously convicted of:
-- Possession of methamphetamine, a Class D felony, on April 18, 2012 in Putnam County.
-- Unlawful possession of a syringe, a Class D felony, on June 8, 2011 in Putnam County
-- Possession of methamphetamine, a Class D felony, on Nov. 7, 2001 in Vigo County.
Judge Bridges entered a not-guilty plea for Skinner and appointed Christopher Parker as his public defender. Skinner was remanded to the Putnam County Jail, where he is being held on a $75,000 cash-only bond.
A Nov. 29 pretrial hearing in the case was set for 1:30 p.m.