BEDFORD – Lawrence Superior Court II Judge Bob Cline sentenced a habitual drug offender to 16 years in the Indiana Department of Correction Monday after the man admitted to possessing a large amount of methamphetamine.
Tony B. Cassidy, 45, Bedford, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine, a Level 3 felony, as a part of a negotiated plea agreement with the State of Indiana. On that charge, he received a 10-year prison sentence, with two years suspended. However, also as a part of the plea, Cassidy’s sentence was enhanced by an additional six years for being a habitual offender. He will serve 14 years of a 16-year sentence, followed by two years of probation.
“What happened with Mr. Cassidy is noteworthy for three reasons: 1) A defendant possessing more than 28 grams of methamphetamine was held accountable for his crime; 2) A habitual offender with a lengthy criminal history was held accountable for repeatedly breaking Indiana law; and 3) A probationer who violated the terms of his probation was held accountable for his actions,” said Lawrence County Deputy Prosecutor Jeremy Weddle, who negotiated the plea agreement on behalf of the State of Indiana. “A lengthy sentence in the Indiana Department of Correction was the appropriate result for this defendant.”
Cassidy was arrested in September 2020 after he was spotted in a vehicle by Indiana State Police troopers who knew there were active warrants out of Jackson County for Cassidy’s arrest. The vehicle was stolen, and Cassidy was a passenger in it. During a search of the vehicle, troopers found more than 28 grams of methamphetamine and a loaded firearm. Cassidy was then arrested and transported to the Lawrence County jail.
