***MEDIA ADVISORY***

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 23, 2015

CONNER CONVICTED OF DEALING CRACK COCAINE NEAR ELKHART YOUTH CENTERS

Media Contact: Curtis T. Hill, Jr. (574) 296-1888

On July 21, 2015 a jury called in Elkhart County Superior Court 3 took approximately 35 minutes to convict Marcus T. Conner, age 42 of Elkhart, of three counts of Dealing in Cocaine within 1,000 feet of a Youth Program Center, a Class A felony and Maintaining a Common Nuisance, a Class D felony.

The conviction resulted after jurors heard testimony from seven witnesses including police officers from the Elkhart Police Department Drug Unit, two confidential sources (CS), and two employees of the Elkhart County Health Department immunization clinic and WIC program. The CS’s testified that they bought crack cocaine from Conner on three separate occasions in August and September, 2012. EPD police officers corroborated that testimony and two videos of controlled buys were played for members of the jury.

Officer Tim Freel testified about his training and experience relating to drug investigations in general and specifically the investigation into Conner, giving the jury helpful information to decode some of the street terminology used by Conner and the CS’s. Packages of crack cocaine obtained from Conner on each controlled buy were sent to the Indiana State Police Laboratory and tested positive for cocaine.

Officers and Health Department employees testified that the home in which Conner sold crack cocaine, located at 1319 W. Franklin St., was his mother’s residence and was within 1,000 feet of both Health Department locations which regularly provide services for persons under the age of 18. Additionally, when Conner was arrested on September 19, 2012, he was in possession of $1,386.00, $40.00 of which matched money that was provided to the CS to purchase crack cocaine from Conner earlier that day.

Conner was previously convicted of Dealing in Cocaine in May of 1992. After the initial phase of the trial, Conner admitted to being a habitual offender, resulting in an enhancement that will add an additional 30 years to his sentence.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 27, 2015, at 9:00 a.m. in the Elkhart County Jail. Conner is being held without bond at the Elkhart County Jail pending sentencing. This case was handled by Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys Leslie Shively and Lucas Shoemake.

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“Under Indiana law, all persons arrested for a criminal offense are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.”