10 year sentence in Meth Case

Bartlett receives 10-year sentence

Photo Courtesy of Jefferson Co. Prosecutors 

BARTLETT RECEIVES 10 YEAR SENTENCE IN METH CASE March 4, 2020 –

(Hanover, Ind.) - Today in the Jefferson County Circuit Court, Robert H. Bartlett was sentenced to ten (10) years at the Indiana Department of Correction for felony possession of methamphetamine. The conviction resulted from a separate and unrelated investigation into an armed robbery, as police were searching for two subjects believed to be at the residence of Bartlett.

The investigation began on June 13, 2019, when Indiana State Police Officers and local law enforcement officers from the Madison Police Department visited the home of Robert Bartlett, at 44 West Street Lot 44 in Hanover to search two individuals suspected of being involved in an armed robbery in Jefferson County the previous day. Officers had received information that the two suspects, Brian Skirvin and Joshua Pearson, may have been staying at that residence.

At the conclusion of the hearing, Prosecutor David Sutter said, “Cases like these are sometimes the result of separate investigations, but the importance of finding and eradicating these drugs from our community is no less meaningful. While officers were investigating an armed robbery, they happened upon suspected drug dealing which ultimately resulted in this conviction and the community is safer as a result.”

Upon arriving at the home, officers found the door to be wide open and as they approached the doorway a female, Chelsea Demaree, came to the door to speak with the officers. Officers could see there were two others present in the home identified as Jefferson County Prosecutor’s Office David R. Sutter, Prosecutor 315 ½ E Second St. Madison, IN 47250 812.265.8932 Kaleb Skirvin and James Phillips. Officers then asked Demaree if she knew Brian and Joshua, and she stated that she did know Brian, but he was not there. The officers then asked for and were granted permission to search the home for the suspects and Ms. Demaree allowed them to do so.

As officers entered the home, they noticed a digital scale laying out in plain view with residue on it, which they recognized as methamphetamine. While officers were searching for the suspects, they saw Ms. Demaree exit the back door with a green plastic container. She was asked what was in the container and told officers it contained “baggies.” Due to the presence of suspected methamphetamine, a search warrant was applied for and issued by Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge D.J. Mote. Mr. Bartlett emerged from a wooded area while officers were waiting on the warrant and identified the home to be his, which he shared with Ms. Demaree.

A search of the property found metal pipes, a glass pipe containing burnt material, and a glass pipe and a metal spoon containing residue. In the bedroom, State troopers found a glass smoking pipe on the nightstand containing burnt material and two white pills, identified as containing Tramadol Hydrochloride, a controlled substance. In the plastic container being carried out by Chelsea Demaree, officers found three tied up plastic bags containing a crystalline substance believed to be methamphetamine, along with numerous items of paraphernalia including pipes, burnt material, plastic bags with the corners cut off, corner pieces of plastic bags containing residue, a metal grinder, cut plastic straws, and a metal file.

“Law enforcement officers willingly take risks upon investigating any crime without knowing what they may find or how safe they may be. I want to offer my sincere appreciation for the Indiana State Police and the Madison Police Department on their joint efforts in this case and every case as they continually work to improve public safety in Jefferson County,” said Sutter.

Bartlett pled guilty to one count of Possession of Methamphetamine, a Level 5 Felony, and was also found to be a Habitual Felony Offender due to multiple prior convictions on unrelated felonies. He was sentenced by Judge Mote to a term of 10 years to be fully served in the Indiana Department of Correction. Bartlett will be eligible to participate in the Recovery While Incarcerated program while serving his sentence. (Skirvin and Pearson were convicted in separate court proceedings of Robbery as a Level 5 felony).