WARSAW — An Elkhart woman was sentenced in Kosciusko Circuit Court Thursday, April 19, after her involvement in dealing methamphetamine.

Guadalupe Garcia, 23, 135 West Garfield Ave., Elkhart, was found guilty of possession of methamphetamine and conspiracy to commit dealing methamphetamine, both level 4 felonies; and failure to appear, a level 6 felony. 

She was arrested in December 2016 after officers with the Warsaw Police Department witnessed Garcia and another female dealing methamphetamine, once with a child in the vehicle. 

According to the affidavit of probable cause, on Dec. 4, police officers witnessed Garcia sell 28 grams of methamphetamine in exchange for $1,000. The transaction occurred inside the buyer’s car in the Walmart parking lot.

On Dec. 7, officers performed a traffic stop on a vehicle in the Steak ‘n Shake parking lot. The other female was driving. Garcia was a passenger, and there was a small child in the backseat.

Garcia admitted that she was coming to Warsaw to collect $4,000 so she could order more methamphetamine. Garcia told officers that since December, she had delivered 16 ounces of methamphetamine to Warsaw.

The other female had driven Garcia to Warsaw, being fully aware that Garcia was collecting money from dealing methamphetamine.

Garcia’s attorney, Mark Doty, made a lengthy and impassioned argument in her defense, asking the court to consider his client’s young age as well as the fact that she has two young children.

“A better version of Guadalupe Garcia is an asset to her children,” Doty stated. 

“The recidivism rate is very high for methamphetamine cases,” said Doty. “The main reason is that the vast majority of people who are committing methamphetamine offenses are methamphetamine addicts.” 

Doty pointed out that Garcia has never used methamphetamine, stating, “She has a higher degree of likelihood that she can respond to a sentence that doesn’t involve prison.”

Judge Michael Reed addressed Garcia, stating, “I can’t act like it didn’t happen. I’m not unsympathetic to what your lawyer said, and I never want to send anybody to prison, especially a 23-year-old mother of two, but the facts that I can see are undisputed.”

“There are consequences to our actions,” Reed continued. “I can’t allow this to go on in our community. You admitted to delivering 16 oz. of methamphetamine. You were in the business of dealing in large quantities of narcotics – and one of the risks when you deal drugs is getting caught and going to prison.”

Reed sentenced Garcia to six years at the Indiana Department of Corrections for the charge of possession of methamphetamine and six years at IDOC for the charge of conspiracy to commit dealing in methamphetamine, ordering the sentences to be served concurrently. 

In addition, Reed sentenced Garcia to one year at IDOC for the failure to appear charge. This sentence was ordered to be served consecutive to the sentences for the level 4 felony charges. 

Garcia was also ordered to make restitution to the Warsaw Drug Task Force in the amount of $1,100.