Courtney S. Norris
HANCOCK COUNTY — An Indianapolis man facing several felony gun crimes and an auto theft charge entered into a plea agreement accepted by officials in Hancock County Superior Court 1 late last week.
Courtney S. Norris, 56, 9000 block of East 37th Place, was originally charged with a Level 4 felony count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon; a Level 5 felony count of auto theft; a Level 5 felony count of carrying a handgun without a license and a Class A Misdemeanor count of possession of paraphernalia from an incident in November 2021.
As part of the plea agreement, the Level 4 felony and the misdemeanor charge were both dismissed. Norris had to admit guilt to the two Level 5 crimes. He was given a sentence of five years with three years to be executed and two years suspended to informal probation for each of the Level 5 charges, which will run concurrently.
The deal was officially accepted in Superior Court 1 by Magistrate Cody Coombs Thursday, July 28, court records state.
As for the original crimes, according to a probable cause affidavit, officials from the McCordsville Police Department received an email alerting them to a stolen vehicle via the Flock camera system on Nov. 23, 2021.
Law enforcement officials found the car in the Meijer parking lot and conducted a high risk stop on a gold Camry. It took several commands before the driver, (Norris) exited his vehicle, officials said in the report.
The driver then took off his coat and dropped it on the pavement, officials said. The driver started to walk toward officers in an aggressive manner, officials reported.
“The driver walked at us in a fast pace, his arms were swinging back and forth, and his hands were balled up to form a loose fist,” law enforcement said in the report. The driver was told stop walking several times before he finally stopped and turned around, officials noted.
Officials located a glass pipe with burn marks on its end and a ball of Brillo pad inside the pipe they said was a “crack pipe” used for smoking crack cocaine. Officials also found a handgun inside Norris’s coat. Officials noted the revolver had rounds in all six chambers of the cylinder.
Officers noted in the report Norris has an extensive criminal history dating back to the late 1980s. In looking through Norris’ 50-page criminal history, officials found Norris was convicted of a Class B criminal confinement charge in October 1991, making him a serious violent felon.
