Woman agrees to plead guilty to attempted robbery

Justine Gardner

A woman accused of trying to pull another woman out of her vehicle and of trying to get into other vehicles while behaving erratically in an impaired condition in February on school property, has agreed to plead guilty to attempted robbery, a Level 5 felony.

Justine Gardner, 28 at the time of her arrest on Monday, February 26, was charged on Thursday, March 1, in Greene Superior Court with the attempted robbery, a Level 5 felony, plus criminal trespassing, a Class A misdemeanor, and two counts of battery, both Class B misdemeanors.

A few days later, she posted $1,200 cash to bond out of jail.

The incident, which began on a nearby street then moved onto the Linton-Stockton School property, was investigated by Linton Police Officer Debbie McDonald-Miller who was then assisted by L-S School Resource Officer Josh Goodman.

Officer Miller was dispatched to the scene around 3:15 p.m. at the close of a school day when people were in the parking lot preparing to leave the grounds. The incident involved several vehicles and several individuals, with numerous witnesses.  

Court records, which show Gardner with a home in address in Worthington, indicate that as the case has progressed, she has been through an assessment by Greene County Alcohol and Drug Services.

On April 23, she signed a negotiated plea agreement along with Defense Attorney Ellen Martin, her public defender, and Chief Deputy Prosecutor Keven McIntosh.

She’s expected to plead guilty to the attempted robbery and be sentenced to three years in the Indiana Department of Corrections with all but one year suspended. If eligible, she can serve that sentence on work release. She’ll then be on probation for one and one-half years, must undergo evaluations for substance abuse and participate in any treatment deemed necessary. She’ll also be required to pay a $50 fine, a $200 drug interdiction fee and court costs.

After the agreed resolution, the Greene County Probation Department completed a pre-sentence investigation report and Gardner was evaluated for alternative sentencing by Greene County Alcohol and Drug Services and Greene County Community Corrections.

A change of plea and sentencing hearing was first scheduled for May 24, but Gardner’s defense requested a continuance and she’s now scheduled to be sentenced later this summer.