Curtis Colvin, 40, Indianapolis
HANCOCK COUNTY — A Hancock County jury found an Indianapolis man guilty of firearm and drug charges this week in Hancock County Circuit Court.
Curtis Colvin, 40, Indianapolis opted for a jury trial after he was charged with a Level 4 felony count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon and a Level 5 count of possession of cocaine from an incident in the county in August 2023.
The two day trial wrapped Wednesday with Colvin being found guilty on both counts. Colvin, who has been in the Hancock County Jail since his arrest in 2023 is set to be sentenced in Circuit Court April 25.
Deputy Prosecutor David Ostendorf handled the case for the state and noted it was good to have the jury see things the way law enforcement did.
“We’re pleased with the jury’s verdict,” Ostendorf said. “This is another example of our ongoing efforts to prevent what we’re seeing in certain adjacent counties from crossing over into Hancock County.”
Ostendorf pointed out how this was indeed a case where someone from Indianapolis with an extensive criminal history came into Hancock County with drugs and a gun. He thanked law enforcement, including assistance from the New Palestine Police Department and the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department for quickly responding to a complaint and for the homeowner who called in the suspicious vehicle.
Ostendorf noted their proactive actions allowed the state to move forward with a strong case.
“We look forward to sentencing since this is the second conviction for unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon for this particular defendant,” Ostendorf said.
According to a probable cause affidavit associated with the case, officials from the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department (HCSD) were asked to check on a suspicious vehicle in the area of CR 800W and CR 500S on Aug. 13, 2023. The deputies found the car in a field at 4575 CR South 800W.
Officials noted the caller was still there and saw Colvin place something in the trunk of the vehicle as law enforcement arrived. Officials noted there were two people associated with the vehicle — Colvin and David Plumley, 22, Indianapolis, the affidavit said.
Colvin told officials they were following GPS and thought they had turned into a park entrance and not the field which they ended up in, the affidavit said.
Law enforcement asked for permission to search the vehicle after the two said they had been drinking and when they did they found a loaded firearm, which one official said was reported stolen from Marion County. The affidavit noted officials also found a white, powdery, rock-like substance in a clear baggy which field tested positive for cocaine.
Officials noted that Colvin has a prior conviction for an unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon charge in Marion County, the affidavit said.
Plumley’s case is still listed as active in Hancock County Superior Court 2 where a motion to dismiss was filed the same day Colvin’s jury trial ended in the guilty verdicts.
