MUNCIE, IN — A Muncie man sentenced to 12 years in prison for a 2024 dealing-in-meth conviction has been granted an early release from prison.
On July 13, Delaware Circuit Court 3 Judge Doug Mawhorr agreed to modify the sentence of 49-year-old Jessie Tyrone Vernon, ordering him released from custody and to serve the remainder of his sentence on probation.
In the modification order, Mawhorr wrote that Vernon “has done very well while incarcerated and has taken full and complete advantage of the programs and opportunities made available to him through the (Department of Correction’s) rehabilitation and reintegration programs to improve himself and equip himself for success outside the DOC prison walls.”
The judge noted that “rehabilitation is the ultimate goal of Indiana’s penal system.”
The sentence modification drew criticism from Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman, who issued a press release on Thursday, July 30.
“Candidly, I am disappointed,” Hoffman said, noting Vernon’s long record of arrests and convictions.
“I vehemently disagree with early release of an inmate because they behaved well in prison,” the prosecutor said. “Isn’t that already expected of them? Is that why they only have to serve three-fourths of their total sentence under the good time credit statute?”
Vernon, who had been held in the Westville Correctional Facility, had a projected release date of August 2031 before his sentence was modified.
His defense attorney, Brandon Murphy, said Friday his client’s “troubles with drug addiction culminated after he was nearly beaten to death by the Muncie Police Department’s Chase Winkle, who was sentenced to federal prison for his misconduct.”
“If Mr. Hoffman cares so much about sentencing modifications, maybe he should attend the hearings he later complains about instead of repeatedly attacking the independence of the judiciary,” Murphy said.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Prosecutor critical of decision to shorten Muncie man’s prison term
Reporting by Star Press, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Star Press, Muncie Star Press | USA TODAY Network
