A Marion County man, 45-year-old James Garvin Ply of Summit, has been sentenced to a five-year prison sentence following him entering a negotiated plea in Marion County Circuit Court earlier this month.
According to the sentencing order filed Tuesday, Ply entered a guilty plea to felony charges of residential burglary and possession of a controlled substance with purpose to deliver, methamphetamine; as well as a misdemeanor charge of theft of property. He was sentenced to one year in the county jail on the misdemeanor charge.
Ply and 37-year-old Stephen William Brown of Summit were arrested and charged in connection with a residential burglary at a Summit residence in December 2017.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the two men were captured on security camera footage. Ply was immediately recognizable on the footage. However, law enforcement was not able to identify Brown from the footage. During a post Miranda interview, Ply admitted the second individual in the security footage was Brown.
Brown said Ply had told him he had heard other individuals were going to rob the house, and Ply did not want the former owner’s property to be stolen by someone else. The former owner was reportedly Ply’s good friend. Ply alleged items in the house belonged to his sister, and he wanted to return them to her. Brown told officers Ply was not able to give the items to his sister because he had been arrested.
In addition, in March Ply was arrested on a warrant and brought to the Marion County Detention Facility. According to the probable cause affidavit in this case, while in a holding cell, the Summit man was initially alleged to have attempted to commit suicide by wrapping a telephone cord and tying it around his neck.
Later that day, officers attempted to utilize the telephone in the holding cell and discovered it was not operable. The phone is utilized throughout the day and night for bonding, calling Parole and Probation and attorneys. It was determined it was out of service for 14.5 hours.
A report following an evaluation by mental health services providers indicated Ply was acting out his aggression as a result of being incarcerated. The affidavit notes Ply’s actions not only caused damage to a main telephone, it also infringed upon the duties of the deputy and jailer.
A new felony-level charge of impairing operation of vital public property, violent behavior or substantial disruption was filed in connection with the incident.
According to a court order filed Monday, Ply was sentenced to one year in the county jail through a negotiated plea agreement reducing the charge to a misdemeanor-level offense.
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