On February 27, 2014 defendant Adam White was convicted of one count of Battery by Means of a Deadly Weapon, a Class C Felony. White stabbed victim Rolando Canchola with a knife approximately one foot in length in the area of Brady Street and Jackson Place on September 10, 2013, while Canchola was outside with friends and other members of the neighborhood.

The jury convicted despite the defendant’s argument that he acted in self-defense after he and his girlfriend were “jumped” by three to four men; recognizing that White had gone back to his residence to retrieve knives after an initial altercation. Additionally, the prosecution presented over thirty photos of White’s injuries which were inconsistent with his claims that he had been assaulted with a bicycle, 25 pound bricks, and beaten with sticks and tree branches. Elkhart Police Department officers testified that they eventually found White hiding in a cinderblock crawlspace in his basement, and he had to be commanded several times to come out, even after they announced themselves as “Police.” They further testified that White never asked for medical attention for his injuries, and the injuries were consistent with getting in and out of the dirty, small crawlspace as they were superficial skin abrasions.

White also always maintained that he had stabbed Canchola with a stick lying on the ground near him, although he stipulated to the DNA evidence found on the knives in his home as being that of Canchola. He changed his story during his time on the witness stand on February 27, 2014, finally admitting that he had used a knife that he had taken from his residence.

As a result of his conviction, Judge Evan Roberts scheduled sentencing for March 27, 2014, at 2:00 p.m. White is facing between two and eight years at the Indiana Department of Correction. He is being held without bond at the Elkhart County Correctional Complex. This case was tried by Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Kathleen Gring.