Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

CASSOPOLIS — A Jones resident was sentenced to a year in jail on meth and assault charges.

        Travis Carl Barefield, 42, of Jones, pleaded guilty to possession of eth and attempted resisting and obstructing police and was sentenced to 365 days in jail with credit for 166 days served and $1,858 in fines and costs.

        He was also sentenced to 93 days in jail with credit for 165 days served and $625 in fines and costs from a 2019 drunk driving case. That incident occurred Sept. 7, 2019.

        The meth and resisting police incident occurred May 1 in Jones when people witnessed a man leaving a vacant house. When police stopped Barefield on a bike a short distance away, he denied being at the house and then fled after police realized he had an outstanding warrant out on him. He was also found to have a meth pipe.

        Judge Herman said that Barefield has been using meth since age 30 and doesn’t have a consistent work history. He noted that Barefield told police he didn’t want to go back to jail but has ended up spending more time in jail after absconding and failing to appear.

        “When you’re supposed to be in court, be there,” the judge said. “If you don’t want to go back to jail, give up meth too. If you hadn’t failed to appear for court, I would likely have given you credit for time served.”

        Another Jones man was sentenced to probation after being caught Dec. 3, 2021 stealing catalytic converters from vehicles at the MAAC business on Yankee Street in Howard Township.

        Gorgon Frederick Friant, 23, of Jones, pleaded guilty to larceny from a motor vehicle and conspiracy to commit larceny from a motor vehicle and was sentenced to 18 months probation, credit for 43 days served and $2,216 in fines and costs.

        Judge Herman noted that Friant had no prior record at the time of the incident but now has two felonies on his record in Michigan and a resisting and obstructing police conviction in Elkhart.

        “You were on a four-day meth binge at the time of this incident,” the judge said. “I hope you see a pattern of what’s going on in your life. If you don’t see it, you will get yourself familiarized with the inside of a jail cell. I will give you an opportunity to turn your life around.”

        In other sentencings:

• William Terrell Gillam, Jr., 31, of O’Keefe Street in Cassopolis, pleaded guilty to attempted fleeing police and was sentenced to credit for 132 days served and $1,548 in fines and costs. The incident occurred Nov. 10, 2021 in Cassopolis.
• Stephen Cory Resanovich, 46, of Cassopolis, pleaded guilty to attempted felonious assault and was sentenced to two years probation, credit for 99 days served and $1,978 in fines and costs. The incident occurred Oct. 6, 2022 in Marcellus when he assaulted his girlfriend. If he is successful on probation, the charge will be reduced to a misdemeanor.