Judge sentences habitual offender to prison

BEDFORD – Lawrence Superior Court II Judge Bob Cline sentenced a Bedford man to four years in the Indiana Department of Correction Thursday.

Joseph E. Abner mug shot form a 2021 arrest

Joseph E. Abner, 38, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony, with a habitual offender enhancement, as a part of a negotiated plea agreement with the State of Indiana. The plea agreement, negotiated by Deputy Prosecutor Robert Garrett, offered Abner two years in prison for possession of methamphetamine, with two years added for being a habitual offender.

“Methamphetamine is a serious problem in Lawrence County, and the prosecutor’s office is working very hard to do our part to address it head-on,” said Lawrence County Deputy Prosecutor Robert Garrett, who prosecuted the case on behalf of the State of Indiana. “This case was not only about possession of methamphetamine, though, it was about a habitual offender with a long criminal history who chose to break the law. A sentence in the Indiana Department of Correction is clearly the right outcome in this situation.”