It took jurors in the Neal Haeck trial about an hour to arrive a guilty verdict. Haeck, former superintendent of the Marshall County Highway Garage, was indicted by a Grand Jury in September, 2012 and then prosecutors charged him with one count of Theft (D felony).
The charge stemmed from some $12,351.41 that couldn’t be accounted for from payments made in 2012 and 2013 by Lewis Salvage for scrap metal. Payments for scrap were made in cash by Lewis Salvage to Highway Department employees who delivered the scrap to the Warsaw business. Prosecutors contended that the payments verified by Lewis Salvage did not balance with deposits made to the Marshall County Auditor’s office.
According to calculations presented by Marshall County Prosecutor, Nelson Chipman, 137,921 pounds or 68.96 tons of scrap was delivered to Lewis Salvage during the two-year period in question.
Several of the drivers who delivered scrap and collected cash payments testified that money was received in envelops and given to Haeck or given to Office Manager, Shari Miller. Miller testified that she gave the payments she received to Haeck and she deposited what was given to her by Haeck.
Miller was one of several witnesses for the state questioned by Marshall County Assistant Prosecutor , Matthew Sarber.
Unaccounted money for 2012 was $7,336.53 and 2013, $5,014.88.
Hack testified that he didn’t take any money and doesn’t know what happened to it. The jury viewed a video-tape recording of an interview conducted by Indiana State Police Detective Aaron Rypma. During the approximately one hour long interview, Haeck said the phrases “I don’t know” , “I don’t understand, “ I don’t remember, or “ I don’t know what you want me to say?” for a combined total of 116 times. He repeated the same type phrases as he testified during the trial.
The two-day trial began on March 22 and ended near 4:30 P.M. on March 23. Superior Court Judge Robert Bowen gave instructions to the jury before sending them for deliberation at 3:00 P.M. Near 4:00 P.M. , court officials were notified that the jury had reached a verdict.
Defense co-council Stanley Wruble and Andrea Beachkofsky of the Wruble Law Group, South Bend called the case against Haeck circumstantial. During closing statements, Wruble said, “Not one witness saw him (Haeck) take money. Don’t convict someone on circumstantial evidence.”
However, the jury unanimously arrived at a guilty verdict.
Sentencing has been tentatively set for April 21. Judge Bowen advised Haeck that he had to contact the Marshall County Probation Department by Friday.
