New Castle man's latest dealing conviction results in 15-year sentence

Douglas Walker, Muncie Star Press
·2 min read

NEW CASTLE, Ind. — A New Castle man's latest drug dealing conviction has resulted in a 15-year prison term.

James Duane Lawson, 45, pleaded guilty to dealing in meth, a Level 3 felony carrying up to 16 years in prison. The terms of a plea bargain specified the length of the 15-year sentence imposed in recent days by Henry Circuit Court 2 Judge Kit Crane.

Lawson was accused of selling meth to an informant for the Henry County Area Drug Task Force three times last year between May 15 and Aug. 15.

The plea agreement called for dismissal of two other dealing-in-meth counts pending against the New Castle man, both Level 2 felonies carrying up to 30 years in prison.

Also dismissed was a count of possession of meth filed in a separate case.

Lawson's prior record included convictions for dealing in a controlled substance and possession of meth (twice),

In other court news:

∎ Dealing sentence: A New Castle woman who pleaded guilty to dealing in cocaine has been sentenced to five years in prison.

Margaret Neal, 63, had pleaded guilty to a Level 4 felony carrying up to 12 years in prison.

Henry Circuit Court 2 Judge Kit Crane recently imposed a seven-year sentence with two years suspended.

Neal also received credit for 643 days already spent in jail.

Under the terms of a plea agreement, four additional charges pending against the New Castle woman — two more counts of dealing in cocaine, possession of meth and possession of paraphernalia — were dismissed.

∎ Also in Circuit Court 2, a Sulphur Springs man who pleaded guilty to strangulation was sentenced to six years in prison by Judge Crane.

Robert Selig, 33, was given credit for 537 days served in jail. Three other charges — criminal confinement, battery resulting in moderate injury and interference with the reporting of a crime — were dismissed under the terms of a plea bargain.

Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: New Castle man gets 15 years for latest dealing conviction