12 months probation for violating probation in murder case

JORDAN FOUTS, The Elkhart Truth, Ind.
·2 min read

GOSHEN — A Goshen woman received a 12-month suspended sentence after admitting to a probation violation while serving time for a murder conviction.

Stacy Orue, 53, was convicted in 2005 for her involvement in the fatal robbery of Gwendolyn Hunt on May 19, 2003. Co-defendants Kelly Thomas and Kevin Taylor were also found guilty and received 65-year prison terms.

Orue is serving time on probation until 2031 after she received a modification of her 55-year sentence. She was placed on home detention in a community corrections program in 2018 and was later placed on probation.

She was arrested on Jan. 27 and charged with two misdemeanor counts of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. She was arrested after driving off the roadway in the area of C.R. 30 and C.R. 13 west of Goshen, and was found to have a breath alcohol concentration of around 0.147 grams per 210 liters of breath at the time, according to police.

Orue pleaded guilty to intoxicated driving Thursday and was sentenced to one year on probation. She admitted in Elkhart County Circuit Court that she drank alcohol and consumed what proved to be marijuana before getting behind the wheel.

According to her attorney, Peter Britton, Orue was grappling at the time with the sudden death of her son late last year, not long after they had reconnected. Britton said she was focused on moving forward instead of dwelling on the new charge and allowing herself to spiral down.

Orue also admitted to violating the terms of her probation by committing the new crime. She apologized to the court for letting everyone down, including herself, but said she was accepting her mistake and doing everything she can to correct it.

“It was an awakening for me, the passing of my son in October,” she said. “I haven’t given up, I can just learn from this and continue moving forward.”

Judge Michael Christofeno sentenced her to 12 months in the Elkhart County Correctional Facility, all suspended to probation. Orue gasped and shed tears when she learned that she would not be returned to prison for the remainder of her sentence for murder.

Christofeno encouraged her to turn to something other than alcohol to cope with the loss of a loved one.

“I’m always rooting for you. I, too, know how far you’ve come in this journey. Handling the death of a loved one is extremely hard,” he said. “You do whatever it takes to be successful.”