Judge sends Grinch to prison

Maria, The Lebanon Reporter, Ind.
·2 min read
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Aug. 18—A Thorntown woman who burglarized a beloved Christmas tree farm at Mechanicsburg has been sentenced to prison.

Tiffany Shull, 36, injected methamphetamine then went through buildings at Dull's Tree Farm and the private home of farm owners, Thomas and Kerry Dull, in July 2018, according to court records.

Dull's Tree Farm also has a pumpkin harvest in autumn, reassembled log cabins, a bed and breakfast, and original barns that are shared with the public during seasonal events and special occasions. The farm draws visitors from all over Central Indiana and beyond, especially during the autumn when campfires invite families to sit on straw bales and cook s'mores and during the Christmas season when area churches serve warm donuts and hot apple cider, and Newfoundland dogs haul fresh-cut trees from the fields.

Shull took a joy ride on the farm utility vehicle and drove away in their pickup truck with their revolver in the glove box.

Tom Dull left his home at 9 p.m. on a Sunday and returned to the farm west of Mechanicsburg about 3 a.m. Monday to find the farm ransacked and truck missing. Dull told police he thought he saw someone drive by his farm in his pickup while he awaited police, according to court records.

Police found the Dulls' pickup fully engulfed in flames in a corn field at 1003 E. C.R. 300 N. about an hour after Dull called.

Police didn't find Shull until that Wednesday, when someone reported a suspicious woman dancing in the street in Lebanon, according to court records.

Shull told police she met Daniel Lumley, 33, of Lebanon, in Lebanon and he torched the truck. Lumley later pleaded guilty to arson.

Shull pleaded guilty in that case to residential entry, auto theft and theft of a firearm. She pleaded guilty to possession of meth in another case filed in 2019. Boone Circuit Judge Lori Schein this week sentenced Shull in both cases to six years with the Indiana Department of Correction followed by one year of supervised probation.

Schein recommended purposeful incarceration for Shull. Purposeful incarceration is for those whose criminal history is tied to substance abuse and is a period of therapeutic treatment within the DOC. Judges often consider a sentence modification for those who successfully complete treatment.