Mar. 7—GOSHEN — A Goshen man was sentenced to a total of 20 years Thursday for dealing in a schedule II controlled substance, a level 2 felony; possession of cocaine, a level 5 felony; and dealing in marijuana, a level 5 felony during Thursday’s Circuit Court.

Elkhart County SWAT and ICE units executed a search warrant of a home in the 1600 block of William Henry Lane in Goshen at 10:40 p.m. May 4, 2022.

The woman at the home told police she’d lived there for 16 years, but Demetrius A. Harvey, 50, had moved in just a few months prior and had known him for years.

Harvey confirmed that the drugs found within the home were his, and not the woman’s, estimating a pound of marijuana in the trunk of a vehicle and canisters of marijuana in the kitchen, as well as over 5,000 fentanyl pills, and over $12,000 of cash stored within the home received through dealing proceeds.

Harvey’s criminal history showed federal drug charges in Detroit in 1995, Fed Med CTR Rochester drug trafficking charges that same year, Elkhart Police Department felonies in 2003, and an Elkhart County Sheriff’s Department resisting law enforcement charge in 2021.

Harvey, now sober and taking college courses through programs at the jail, read a written statement to the judge.

“I never looked at these people as victims, but customers, which was totally wrong on my part,” Harvey read. “I never woke up, ‘saying let me see how many people I can harm or hurt today,’ but my actions did.”

Harvey will serve 11 years at INDOC, 6 years at Elkhart County Community Corrections with home detention recommended, and 3 years of reporting probation.

LUIS VASQUEZ SANCHEZ

A man was sentenced for sexual misconduct with a minor through a plea agreement to 30 months to the Indiana Department of Corrections in Superior Court 3 on Thursday, although much of it will be served on probation with just 300 days to be served at the Elkhart County Jail.

Luis Vasquez Sanchez, 31, of Elkhart was charged with burglary, a level 4 felony; sexual misconduct with a minor, a level 5 felony; criminal confinement, a level 5 felony; attempted child molestation, a level 1 felony; and attempted kidnapping, a level 5 felony.

Elkhart police were called to an apartment in the 500 block of Franklin Street around 4 a.m. Sept. 3, 2023 for a trespassing call.

Vasquez Sanchez had allegedly broken in through the back door intoxicated, told an 8-year-old girl he was going to take her to his country, and touched her explicitly. The girl escaped the room and ran to inform the adults within the home. During his sentencing hearing, claimed responsibility for the incident but noted that it was partially due to heavy intoxication.

Dani Messick is the education and entertainment reporter for The Goshen News. She can be reached at dani.messick@goshennews.com or at 574-538-2065.