Alexa P Donoghue, 23, New Castle
HANCOCK COUNTY — A Henry County woman who officials say was involved in dealing methamphetamine had her case closed in Hancock County Superior Court 1 earlier this week. Officials there determined she will not have to serve any more jail time after a plea agreement was approved by Judge D.J. Davis Wednesday.
Alexa P Donoghue, 23, New Castle, was originally charged with a Level 2 felony count of dealing methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony count of unlawful possession or use of a legend drug and a Class C misdemeanor count of possession of paraphernalia from an incident in Greenfield in February of 2023.
According to the plea agreement, Donoghue admitted guilt to a lesser charge, a Level 5 felony count of dealing methamphetamine, which carried a five-year total sentence with all time, except for what she has served (281 days), suspended with three years of the term to be served through probation.
Donoghue’s involvement in the case and her limited criminal history was the basis for the plea agreement, Davis said in an email to the Daily Reporter. Officials from the prosecutor’s office noted the case was connected to another person who was arrested along with Donoghue — Kaden Ray-Gene Gabbard, 25, Charlottesville. Gabbard was sentenced Monday in Superior Court 1.
Gabbard was given a nine-year total sentence, but with zero more days to be served at the Indiana Department of Corrections or in the County Jail. He was given credit for 513 days already served in jail with five years of the term to be on home detention, which can be modified after three years.
Gabbard will also have to attend Behavioral Health Court while on home detention, the court said. After completion of the home detention portion of the sentence, the balance of the sentence will be served on formal probation.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Gabbard was originally pulled over in February of 2023 for traffic violations on I-70 by an official with the Greenfield Police Department. Gabbard was driving with a passenger identified as Donoghue, who told an officer at the time she had a gun in her purse.
Officials noted in the affidavit that Gabbard was driving with a suspended license. The officer noted that both individuals’ pupils appeared abnormal, yet they denied any alcohol consumption, the affidavit stated. The officer also noticed a black magnetic box sticking out of Donoghue’s purse sitting on the front floorboard where she said the gun was also located.
The officer said, based on training and experience, those types of containers are often used to transport drugs.
When officials got Gabbard out of the car, they found hundreds of dollars in cash in his pocket, the affidavit stated. He also refused to give consent to search his vehicle. When a search was eventually done, officials found two clear baggies containing a clear crystal-like substance resembling methamphetamine, the affidavit said.
Officials also found a large, glass meth bong on the front floorboard that had residue inside; a small clear plastic baggie containing a brown piece of paper with more crystal substance; several small clear Ziploc baggies; a black AWS digital scale was also located in the vehicle along with a prescription pill bottle labeled as Lamotrigine.
Officials noted in the report that they weighed the large baggie of crystal substance found in the magnetic box, and the baggie weighed approximately 40.71 grams and field-tested positive for methamphetamine. The smaller baggie of crystal substance in the magnetic box weighed approximately 2.24 grams, and the small baggie found in the door area weighed approximately 1.3 grams. The combined total of the baggies weighed approximately 44.25 grams.
A look at Donoghue’s state records show she has a criminal case against her in Henry County where she is facing a Level 6 felony count of theft from an incident November of 2021. A jury trial on that charge is slated for Wednesday, June, 26.
