What are the opening hours?

Monday 8am - 12pm 1pm - 4pm Tuesday 8am - 12pm 1pm - 4pm Wednesday 8am - 12pm 1pm - 4pm Thursday 8am - 12pm 1pm - 4pm Friday 8am - 12pm 1pm - 4pm

https://www.duboiscountyin.org/government/county_offices/prosecuting_attorney.php

Dubois County Prosecutor's Office, 602 Main Street, 2nd Floor, Jasper, IN (2026)

06/05/2026

The Court Process Explained (Post 4)

How are criminal cases resolved?

Criminal cases get resolved in one of three ways:

1) The case gets set for a bench or jury trial. In a bench trial, the Judge decides your guilt or innocence. In a jury trial, the jury decides.

2) The defendant (or their attorney) and the prosecutor’s office negotiate and come up with a plea agreement that both parties feel is a fair resolution. This plea agreement still must be accepted by the Judge in the court where the defendant is charged.

3) The defendant decides to enter an open guilty plea to the court. This basically means that the parties have no agreement in advance, and it will be up to the Judge in the court where the charges are filed to determine the sentence.

06/02/2026

The Court Process Explained (Post 3)

What happens between the Initial Hearing and the Resolution of a criminal case?

According to Dubois County local Court rules, within 40 days of the Initial Hearing, the Dubois County Prosecutor’s Office is required to provide what’s called “discovery” to the Defendant (or his attorney, if represented). Discovery is basically all the information that law enforcement has related to the case – the police report, witness statements, body camera footage, surveillance footage, photographs, etc.

This way, the Defendant has the opportunity to see what evidence the State has as a basis for the criminal charges that he’s facing.
At the first pre-trial hearing, the State will usually have a potential plea agreement for the Defendant. If the parties aren’t able to reach an agreement, eventually the matter will usually get set for trial.

Indiana Criminal Rule 4 dictates the timelines for setting trials. Generally, if someone is in custody, they are required to be tried within 180 days. If someone is not in custody, they are required to be tried within 1 year. There are exceptions to these rules, and a Defendant always has a right to waive this time period if they want to spend more time preparing their case before trial.

The judicial process, in general, is not swift, but the Dubois County Prosecutor’s Office always tries to keep cases moving so they can be resolved as quickly as possible.

05/29/2026

The Court Process Explained (Post 2)

How Does Bond Get Set?

When someone is arrested by law enforcement for new criminal charges or is arrested pursuant to an arrest warrant issued by the court, they come before the Court for an initial hearing. At the Initial Hearing, the Court advises the person of the charges, their rights, and the maximum possible penalties. After that, the Court takes up the issue of bond.

In Dubois County, we have the pre-trial services office that is part of Dubois County Community Corrections. The individual will be evaluated by pre-trial services prior to the Initial Hearing, and they will file a report with a recommendation to the court regarding bond. The Court should consider this recommendation, as well as factors related to the defendant’s risk of nonappearance and his potential danger to the community, when setting a bond.

At the initial hearing, the prosecutor’s office may make a recommendation for bond, and the defendant will also have an opportunity to speak regarding the bond issue. Ultimately, the amount of the bond is set by the Judge in the Court in which the Defendant appears.

Judge Anthony Quinn presides over Dubois Superior Court and primarily hears drug, alcohol and traffic offenses.

Judge Nathan Verkamp presides over Dubois Circuit Court and primarily hears victim cases.

Acting Judge Karen Werner is a magistrate from Perry County, and she comes to Dubois County two days per week to assist both Judges.

All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

05/26/2026

An update on the criminal case against Nathan Simpson, 37, Evanston. The following charges have been filed against Mr. Simpson related to the vehicle crash that occurred near the Holland Junction last week:

1) Causing Death When Operating a Vehicle with a Schedule I or II Controlled Substance in the Blood, a Level 4 felony;

2) Causing Death When Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated, a Level 4 felony;

3) Causing Serious Bodily Injury when Operating a Vehicle with a Schedule I or II Controlled Substance in the Blood, a Level 5 felony;

4) Causing Serious Bodily Injury When Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated, a Level 5 felony;

5) Causing Serious Bodily Injury When Operating a Vehicle with a Schedule I or II Substance in the Blood, a Level 5 felony;

6) Causing Serious Bodily Injury when Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated, a Level 5 felony;

7) Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Endangering a Person, a Class A misdemeanor; and

8)Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated, a Class C misdemeanor.

The State also filed a notice of intent to seek habitual offender status, which carries an additional fixed term of years, if proven.

Mr. Simpson appeared before Judge Anthony Quinn in Dubois Superior Court on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. Judge Quinn set bond in the amount of $100,000 cash only with enhanced pre-trial monitoring should he post that bond. Mr. Simpson is to have no contact with the victim(s) in this case as a condition of bond.

*All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

05/26/2026

The Court Process Explained

I often get questions about the court process, and it seems there are some common misconceptions about how the court system works. I will attempt to dispel some of those misconceptions in a series of posts.

First up: How are people charged with crimes?

Individuals face criminal charges in one of four ways:
1) They are arrested and taken to jail by law enforcement, who then send a probable cause affidavit to the prosecutor’s office for review. The prosecutor’s office ultimately decides what criminal charges to formally file (if any);
2) Law enforcement gives the individual a court date to appear and sends a probable cause affidavit to the prosecutor’s office for review. Again, my office decides whether to file and what the formal charges will be;
3) After investigating a crime, law enforcement provides a probable cause affidavit to the prosecutor’s office for review. The prosecutor’s office then decides what charges will be filed and requests that the Court send the person a summons to appear in court; or
4) After investigating a crime, law enforcement sends an affidavit for warrant for arrest to the prosecutor’s office for review. The prosecutor’s office decides what charges will be filed and requests that the Court issue a warrant for their arrest upon a finding of probable cause.

The prosecutor’s office cannot talk to individuals about their cases until they appear in court for an initial hearing. After the initial hearing, the individual will either represent themselves in the case or will hire (or be appointed) an attorney. If you are indigent (or can’t afford an attorney on your own), the court may appoint an attorney to represent you. Unless you choose to plead guilty at the initial hearing, the court enters a plea of not guilty on the defendant’s behalf and sets the matter for a future pre-trial conference.

All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

05/22/2026

On Thursday, May 21, 2026, Frank W. Frye, 47, Bloomington, appeared in Dubois Circuit Court for an Initial Hearing before Judge Nathan Verkamp. Mr. Frye is facing criminal charges for the following: one count of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Serious Violent Felon as a Level 4 felony, one count of Theft as a Level 5 felony, four counts of Theft as Level 6 felonies, and four counts of Unauthorized Entry of a Motor Vehicle as Class B misdemeanors. Judge Verkamp set bond at $10,000 cash only. If he posts that bond, he will be placed on enhanced pre-trial monitoring and be required to have no contact with the victim(s) in this case.

On Friday, May 22, 2026, Baudel Linares Zapata, 31, Ferdinand, appeared in Dubois Circuit Court for an Initial Hearing before Judge Nathan Verkamp. Mr. Zapata is facing criminal charges for the following: two counts of Child Molesting as Level 4 felonies and two counts of Neglect of a Dependent as Level 6 felonies.

Mr. Zapata left Dubois County during the pendency of the investigation and was picked up in Tennessee on an arrest warrant in this case and later extradited back to Dubois County. Judge Verkamp set a cash bond of $15,000 cash only. Should he post that bond, Mr. Zapata will be placed on enhanced pre-trial monitoring and will be required to have no contact with the victim(s) in this case.

Also, an update to a case previously reported on by law enforcement. Nathan Simpson, 37, Evanston, was previously arrested on several counts of Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Causing Death and Serious Bodily Injury. My office is in the process of filing charges in this case, and Mr. Simpson will appear before Judge Anthony Quinn in Dubois Superior Court for an Initial Hearing on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at 1:00 P.M. He is currently held without bond in this case.

*All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

05/21/2026

On Friday, May 15, 2026, a bench trial was held before Judge Nathan Verkamp in the case of State vs. Pamela Hasenour, 62, Jasper. Ms. Hasenour was charged with Residential Entry (a Level 6 felony), Invasion of Privacy (a Class A misdemeanor), and Criminal Trespass (a Class A misdemeanor).

After hearing evidence and arguments from both sides, Judge Verkamp found Ms. Hasenour guilty of Residential Entry. He found her not guilty of the Invasion of Privacy charge. Judge Verkamp further found the Criminal Trespass charge to be a lesser included offense of the Residential Entry charge, thereby dismissing Count 3.
At the time of the trial, Ms. Hasenour had an outstanding arrest warrant for an alleged violation of her pre-trial release in this case. At the conclusion of the trial, she was taken into custody on that warrant. Sentencing in this matter is set for June 2, 2026, at 11:00 A.M.

Judge Verkamp did not yet enter a conviction on the Residential Entry charge. He has the discretion during sentencing to either enter the conviction as a Level 6 felony or a Class A misdemeanor.

On Tuesday, May 19, 2026, James Blunk, 39, Otwell, appeared before Judge Verkamp for an open sentencing on an Invasion of Privacy charge as a Class A misdemeanor. This charge stems from a letter Mr. Blunk sent while incarcerated at the Indiana Department of Correction.

After hearing evidence and arguments from both parties, Judge Verkamp sentenced Mr. Blunk to a total of 360 days, with the first 180 days to be served in jail at the Dubois County Security Center, followed by the remaining 180 days to be served on supervised probation. Mr. Blunk is to receive credit for the time he previously served in jail in this case. The sentence also is to run consecutively (or after) the sentence for which he was in prison. As a condition of his sentence, he’s to have no contact with the complaining witness.

On Wednesday, May 20, 2026, Trenton Torres, 36, Jasper, appeared before Judge Verkamp for an initial hearing on three counts of the charge of Lifetime Parole Violation, a Level 6 felony. Mr. Torres is alleged to have been residing in a home with children under the age of 16, in violation of his lifetime parole requirements. Judge Verkamp set bond at $5,000 cash only.

*All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

05/13/2026

Weekly Update – Part Two!

An update on a case we previously reported on against Adam R. Hagedorn, 42, Ferdinand. Back in March, Mr. Hagedorn was arrested on charges relating to allegedly possessing approximately 211 grams of methamphetamine. Bond in this case was set by Judge Anthony Quinn of Dubois Superior Court in the amount of $50,000 cash only, with Mr. Hagedorn to be placed on enhanced pre-trial monitoring should he post that bond.

Today, May 13, 2026, an additional criminal case was filed against Mr. Hagedorn for the charges of Dealing in Methamphetamine as a Level 2 and a Level 4 felony. These charges are related to controlled buys that occurred prior to his March arrest. Mr. Hagedorn appeared in Dubois Superior Court today for an Initial Hearing on the new charges. Judge Quinn set bond in the new case at $20,000 cash only, with enhanced pre-trial monitoring including drug screens should he post that bond. Mr. Hagedorn’s total cash bond at this time is $70,000 cash only.

*All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

05/12/2026

Been a busy week already, and it's only Tuesday!

On Monday, May 11, 2026, Jordan D. Zehr, 29, Corydon, appeared before Dubois Superior Court Judge Anthony Quinn for an open sentencing hearing. Mr. Zehr previously pled guilty to Dealing in Methamphetamine as a Level 3 felony, as part of a plea agreement with the State of Indiana. As part of the agreement, the parties agreed that the Judge had the discretion to impose whatever sentence he saw fit, but that any sentence imposed by the Court could not exceed 10 years in prison at the Indiana Department of Correction.

After hearing evidence and arguments from both parties, Judge Quinn sentenced Mr. Zehr to a total of 9 years, with the first 3 years to be served on Home Detention with GPS Monitoring, followed by the remaining 6 years suspended to supervised probation.

Also on Monday, May 11, 2026, Jace Gramelspacher, 19, Jasper, entered a plea agreement and was sentenced pursuant to that agreement in Dubois Circuit Court before Judge Nathan Verkamp. Mr. Gramelspacher pled guilty to Stalking as a Level 5 felony and Intimidation as a Level 6 felony. As part of the agreement, Mr. Gramelspacher was sentenced to a total of 1,095 days, with the first 548 days to be served on Home Detention with GPS Monitoring, followed by 547 days on supervised probation. As a condition of his probation, he will be required to complete a psychosexual evaluation and follow all treatment recommendations. He is also required not to have any contact with the victim in this case.

Today, Tuesday, May 12, 2026, Deontae T. Wigodinski, 22, Jasper, appeared in Dubois Circuit Court before Judge Verkamp for an initial hearing on charges related to the vandalism that occurred at the Jasper Public Library last week. Mr. Wigodinski has been charged with Obstruction of Justice, a Level 6 felony, Criminal Mischief, a Class A misdemeanor, and False Informing, a Class B misdemeanor. Bond was set by Judge Verkamp in the amount of $750 cash with moderate pre-trial monitoring should he post that bond.

*All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

05/08/2026

This week, we had several notable cases that were heard in Dubois Superior Court before Judge Anthony Quinn.

First up, there were two arrests last week involving high level drug charges. Both individuals appeared for an initial hearing in Dubois Superior Court on Monday, May 4, 2026.

Luis Benitez, 63, Jasper, was charged with the following: 1) Dealing in Methamphetamine, a Level 2 felony, 2) Possession of Methamphetamine, a Level 4 felony, 3) Trafficking with an Inmate, a Level 5 felony, 4) Maintaining a Common Nuisance, a Level 6 felony, and 5) Possession of Paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor.

Dennis Sipes, 44, Jasper, was charged with the following: 1) Dealing in Methamphetamine, a Level 2 felony, 2) Possession of Methamphetamine, a Level 4 felony, 3) Maintaining a Common Nuisance, a Level 6 felony, 4) Obstruction of Justice, a Level 6 felony, 5) Unlawful Possession or Use of a Legend Drug, a Level 6 felony, 6) Possession of Ma*****na, a Class B misdemeanor, and 7) Possession of Paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor.

Judge Quinn set bond at $25,000 cash only on both cases. Should Mr. Benitez or Mr. Sipes post bond, they will be placed on enhanced pre-trial monitoring and will be required to abstain from drugs and alcohol as a condition of said monitoring.

Michael Arteaga, 42, Washington, also appeared in Dubois Superior Court on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, before Judge Quinn for an open sentencing. Mr. Arteaga previously entered into a plea agreement with the State of Indiana that called for him to plead guilty to Possession of Methamphetamine as a Level 6 felony. The sentence was to be left to the discretion of the Court.

After hearing evidence and arguments from the parties, Judge Quinn sentenced Mr. Arteaga to 540 days executed in jail at the Dubois County Security Center, with credit for time previously served. As part of his sentence, the Court ordered Mr. Arteaga to complete all programming available to him during his time in jail.

*All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Dubois County Prosecutor's Office

06/05/2026

06/02/2026

05/29/2026

05/26/2026

05/26/2026

05/22/2026

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05/08/2026

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Monday	8am - 12pm
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