Habitual criminal receives lighter sentence thanks to Kosciusko County Jail Chemical Addiction Program

A Kosciusko County judge showed empathy and compassion this week when he sentenced a recent Jail Chemical Addiction Program graduate to serve his five-year sentence locally on two separate cases instead of in federal prison.

A recent Kosciusko County Jail Chemical Addiction Program graduate saw grace in sentencing this week in Kosciusko County Circuit Court, when he received a five-year sentence for two separate cases. 

Damian Cassidy, 26, of Osceola, had been arrested on Dec. 7, 2022, after the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Office responded to a burglary call in Syracuse. Court documents stated property owners had contacted authorities after they noticed a cinder block had been thrown through a service door window in one of their buildings. Property owners advised authorities that some tools had been jammed into the door of a tractor in an attempt to pry the door open. A suspicious vehicle had also been reported parked at that location around the time of the crime, and pictures of that vehicle had been posted to social media, where Cassidy was later identified as being the vehicle’s primary user. Cassidy would later inform officers he had broken into the building because he needed gas for his vehicle. Less than a week later, Dec. 12, 2022, Cassidy was pulled over in the Cromwell area after Indiana State Police identified a vehicle that was similar to reports from recent thefts in the area. A search of Cassidy's vehicle resulted in law enforcement's discovery of 0.5 grams of meth and a handgun. 

Kosciusko Circuit Court Judge Michael Reed sentenced Cassidy to two years in the Kosciusko County Jail for burglary, with one year executed and one year suspended on formal probation for burglary and possession of methamphetamine, both Level 5 felonies. For his meth possession charge, Cassidy will also receive a three-year sentence, which will be served back-to-back. In total, Cassidy received a five-year sentence, with four years to be executed and one year suspended on probation.

During sentencing it was noted that Cassidy received his GED and had also graduated from the Kosciusko County Jail Chemical Addiction Program while he was incarcerated. It was noted by the JCAP Coordinator that during the JCAP class Cassidy took on a leadership role and maintained a “positive attitude that encouraged others within the group.” Cassidy had recently graduated from JCAP group on Dec. 2. Cassidy's criminal history of violence and drug use was also mentioned during the sentencing. 

Cassidy claimed that he had always planned on taking responsibility and accepting consequences for his actions on the crimes, blaming drug addiction for his bad choices. The judge said Cassidy's obvious dedication caused him to show no objection to Cassidy serving the executed portion of his sentence through work release in either Kosciusko or Elkhart counties. Cassidy currently has 378 days of jail time credit.