Two men who were facing criminal charges in Johnson County courts have pled guilty and been sentenced for criminal recklessness and resisting law enforcement, respectively.
The Daily Journal has previously reported on these cases, and is sharing this update to give resolution to our earlier reporting on crime in the community.
Indy man sentenced for machete incident
An Indianapolis man will serve nearly 1.5 years on probation for stabbing a woman and injuring two others while wielding two machetes last year in Franklin.
Jonathan E. Baue, 33, pleaded guilty to criminal recklessness while armed with a deadly weapon, a Level 6 felony, before Johnson County Superior Court 2 Judge Peter Nugent on Oct. 5. The charge was added as part of a plea agreement that dismissed charges of domestic battery with a deadly weapon, a Level 5 felony, and two counts of battery causing bodily injuries, both misdemeanors.
He was sentenced the same day to 545 days, or 1.5 years, in jail. A majority of the sentence — 531 days — was suspended to probation, and he received a jail credit of seven days, according to online court records.
Johnson County sheriff’s deputies were called to the 1600 block of U.S. 31, just south of Franklin, shortly in October 2021 on a report of a man swinging a machete at people. Later, deputies were told the man was on the ground and the machetes had been taken away from him, according to a probable cause affidavit.
A woman told police she had arrived at the Franklin home after visiting Greensburg with a friend, and that Baue had gone to Greensburg looking for her. About an hour after the victim arrived in Franklin, Baue showed up, and 30 minutes later, 911 was called, according to court documents.
When Baue arrived, he charged toward the woman, wielding a machete in each hand and swinging it at her. She was struck in her abdomen and arm, court documents show.
Baue then turned toward a neighbor’s home and chased another relative of the woman, according to court documents.
He later returned without the machetes after a neighbor tackled him. The relative said they were also injured during the incident, court documents show.
Baue told deputies he had spoken to the woman earlier that day, and she had invited him to the home. The woman’s friend took away her phone and yelled at Baue, threatening to kill him, he said.
He said when he arrived at the home, he thought the woman’s relative was the person who threatened him. He was carrying the machetes to defend himself, he said.
Baue told deputies the woman walked into the machetes and denied swinging them. He had also been drinking, according to court documents.
He had also driven from Indianapolis to Greensburg to Franklin, court documents show.
Franklin man sentenced for 2021 police chase
A Franklin man who led deputies on a high-speed chase last year was sentenced to a majority probation sentence.
Harry Russell Stevenson, 37, pleaded guilty to resisting law enforcement, a Level 6 felony, before Johnson County Circuit Court Judge Andrew Roesener on Nov. 3. As part of a plea agreement, two counts of leaving the scene of an accident, a misdemeanor, were dismissed.
He was sentenced the same day to two years in jail, and the majority of his sentence — 1.5 years — is suspended to probation. His license was also suspended for one year, according to online court records.
In November 2021, deputies were traveling southbound on U.S. 31 from County Road 250 South when they observed a silver Chevrolet SUV traveling northbound in the left travel lane at 87 mph in a 60 mph zone. Deputies caught up to the SUV and activated their emergency lights and sirens, but the vehicle continued northbound and began accelerating, according to a Johnson County Sheriff’s Office report.
The SUV, driven by Stevenson, reached speeds near 120 mph as they approached County Road 150 South. As they approached County Road 80 South, Stevenson made two unsafe lane movements, weaving in and out of northbound traffic. He ran through a red light at Nineveh Road. As he approached Franklin Lakes Boulevard, he passed a line of traffic on the right, then quickly moved back into the left lane as he approached Hospital Road, the report shows.
A deputy was sitting in the median at Hospital Road with his lights and siren activated. Stevenson swerved left toward the deputy’s fully marked patrol car in an aggressive manner, then swerved back to the right causing it to lose control and sideswipe a red Toyota passenger car that was stopped in the left travel lane at the traffic light. He also struck the rear of a white Honda passenger car that was stopped in the right travel lane, causing significant damage to both vehicles. Neither driver was injured in the crash, according to the report.
Stevenson refused to stay inside the vehicle despite several verbal commands. He exited the SUV and started running north on U.S. 31 from Jefferson Street. Despite several more commands to stop, he continued running. A deputy deployed his taser, striking him in the back. He fell to the ground and was arrested, the report shows.
He told deputies he doesn’t remember being chased and wasn’t sure how he ended up on the ground in handcuffs. He said the SUV belongs to his girlfriend and was not stolen, according to the report.
