Alexis Springer, Appellant-Defendant v. State of Indiana, Appellee-Plaintiff (2026)

MEMORANDUM DECISION

[1] Alexis Springer appeals the trial court's order revoking her probation and ordering that she serve 365 days of her previously suspended sentence. She also appeals the sentences imposed under two separate cause numbers and asserts those sentences are inappropriate. We affirm.

Facts and Procedural History

[2] On October 16, 2024, Tristian Farrow, an Asset Protection Investigator for Walmart in Fort Wayne, observed Springer remove wall hooks off the shelf and conceal them in her purse, remove apparel items from hangers and conceal them in her purse, and pass all points of sale without offering any form of payment for the concealed merchandise. Farrow approached Springer and introduced himself, and she claimed not to have anything and fled.¹ On October 18, 2024, the State charged Springer with conversion as a class A misdemeanor under cause number 02D05-2410-CM-4349 (“Cause No. 49”).

[3] On January 2, 2025, Fort Wayne Police Officer A. Miller conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in which Springer was the back seat passenger. Detective C. Norris located a small, clear, plastic container in the rear cupholder next to where Springer was seated which tested positive for methamphetamine. Officer Miller searched Springer and located a small, zippered pouch that contained several clear knotted sandwich bags, one bag contained 1.8 grams of fentanyl, three bags contained a total of 5 grams of methamphetamine, and one bag contained 0.3 grams of cocaine.

[4] On January 3, 2025, the State charged Springer under cause number 02D05-2501-F5-1 (“Cause No. 1”) with: Count I, possession of methamphetamine as a level 5 felony; Count II, possession of cocaine or narcotic drug as a level 6 felony; and Count III, possession of cocaine or narcotic drug as a level 6 felony. That same day, the court entered an Order of Conditional Release under Cause No. 1, which indicated that Springer's first court appearance was scheduled for 8:00 a.m. on January 6, 2025. On February 26, 2025, Lauren Mayes of the Criminal Division Services and Pretrial Services Department of the Allen Superior Court filed a Notice to the Court indicating that Springer potentially violated the conditions set forth in the Order for Monitored Conditional Release as there had been no contact with Springer since she last reported on January 27, 2025. On February 27, 2025, the court entered an order under Cause No. 1 which found probable cause that Springer violated the terms and conditions of release and issued a warrant and that she “be held NO BOND pending further hearing.” Appellant's Appendix Volume II at 142.

[5] On March 13, 2025, Fort Wayne Police Detective Michael Meraz knew Springer had active local warrants and took her into custody. During a search incident to arrest, Detective Meraz located a baggie which tested positive for 20.6 grams of methamphetamine and a bag containing 0.4 grams of fentanyl. On March 14, 2025, the State charged Springer under cause number 02D05-2503-F4-26 (“Cause No. 26”) with: Count I, possession of methamphetamine as a level 4 felony; and Count II, possession of cocaine or narcotic drug as a level 6 felony. That same day, Mayes filed a Notice to the Court under Cause No. 1 indicating that Springer had been arrested under Cause No. 26 and had violated the conditions of her conditional release.

[6] On March 27, 2025, the court entered an order under Cause No. 49 whereby it accepted a plea agreement in which Springer agreed to plead guilty to conversion as a class A misdemeanor. The court sentenced Springer to 365 days with 365 days suspended.

[7] On May 13, 2025, Springer filed a Motion to Modify Sentence under Cause No. 49 in which she asserted she had been charged in Cause Nos. 1 and 26 after the initial hearing in Cause No. 49. She stated that, due to her pending criminal charges in Cause Nos. 1 and 26, she was screened and preliminarily deemed eligible for the Allen Superior Court Drug Court Program but could not be formally accepted into the program due to the sentence in Cause No. 49. She asked the court to consider modifying her sentence and that she be ordered to complete the Court Drug Court Program. On May 15, 2025, the court granted her motion and ordered that the sentence be modified “to mirror or comport with the conditions of any Drug Court Intervention Program imposed.” Id. at 55.

[8] On May 19, 2025, Springer pled guilty as charged under Cause Nos. 1 and 26, and the court took the plea agreements under advisement, placed Springer into the Drug Court Diversion Program, and entered a Drug Court Program Participation Agreement, which was signed by Springer. On May 22, 2025, the court entered an order in Cause Nos. 49, 1, and 26, which ordered Springer released by the Allen County Confinement Facility to the Drug Court Case Manager on May 23, 2025.

[9] On October 27, 2025, Adrianne Robison, the Allen County Drug Court Case Manager, filed Verified Petitions to Terminate Drug Court Program Participation under Cause Nos. 49, 1, and 26. Robison alleged that Springer violated the terms and conditions of the Drug Court Program by being arrested on October 20, 2025, and charged under cause number 02D04-2510-F2-75 (“Cause No. 75”). That same day, Springer admitted the allegation and waived an evidentiary hearing, and the court entered an order under Cause Nos. 49, 1, and 26, which found that Springer violated the terms of the Drug Court Participation Agreement and ordered her revoked from the Drug Court Program.

[10] On December 5, 2025, the court held a hearing. Springer stated:

I would like to apologize for wasting Drug Court's time and wasting your time, not taking things as serious as I should have, not reaching out when I should have. And thank you for letting me try out this program. I learned a lot from it, so – and I'm gonna continue my treatment when I'm done with this.

Transcript Volume II at 39.²

[11] The court revoked Springer's suspended sentence under Cause No. 49 and ordered that she be committed to the Allen County Confinement Facility for 365 days. Under Cause No. 1, the court sentenced Springer to two years for possession of methamphetamine as a level 5 felony, one year for possession of a narcotic drug as a level 6 felony, and one year for possession of cocaine as a level 6 felony. The court ordered the sentences to be served concurrent with each other and consecutive to the sentence in Cause No. 49. Under Cause No. 26, the court sentenced Springer to five years for possession of methamphetamine as a level 4 felony and one year for possession of a narcotic drug as a level 6 felony. The court ordered that the sentences be served concurrent with each other and consecutive to the sentences in Cause Nos. 49 and 1.

[12] On December 31, 2025, Springer filed notices of appeal in Cause Nos. 49, 1, and 26. On February 4, 2026, this Court entered an order granting Springer's Motions to Consolidate Related Appeals.

Discussion

[13] Springer argues that the trial court abused its discretion when it revoked her entire sentence in Cause No. 49. She also argues that “[t]he sentence of seven years for two felonies was inappropriate in light of the nature of the offenses and [her] character, especially considering her complete lack of criminal history.” Appellant's Brief at 12.

[14] With respect to Springer's argument that the trial court abused its discretion when it revoked the entire sentence in Cause No. 49, both parties cite Ind. Code § 35-38-2-3(h) which is titled “Violation of conditions of probation” and provides:

If the court finds that the person has violated a condition at any time before termination of the period, and the petition to revoke is filed within the probationary period, the court may impose one (1) or more of the following sanctions:

(1) Continue the person on probation, with or without modifying or enlarging the conditions.

(2) Extend the person's probationary period for not more than one (1) year beyond the original probationary period.

(3) Order execution of all or part of the sentence that was suspended at the time of initial sentencing.

[15] Generally, we review trial court probation violation determinations and sanctions for an abuse of discretion.³ Heaton v. State, 984 N.E.2d 614, 616 (Ind. 2013) (citing Prewitt v. State, 878 N.E.2d 184, 188 (Ind. 2007)). The Indiana Supreme Court has explained that “[o]nce a trial court has exercised its grace by ordering probation rather than incarceration, the judge should have considerable leeway in deciding how to proceed” and that, “[i]f this discretion were not afforded to trial courts and sentences were scrutinized too severely on appeal, trial judges might be less inclined to order probation to future defendants.” Prewitt, 878 N.E.2d at 188. When reviewing an appeal from the revocation of probation, we consider only the evidence most favorable to the judgment, and we will not reweigh the evidence or judge the credibility of the witnesses. Vernon v. State, 903 N.E.2d 533, 536 (Ind. Ct. App. 2009), trans. denied. As long as the proper procedures have been followed in conducting a probation revocation hearing, the trial court may order execution of a suspended sentence upon a finding of a violation by a preponderance of the evidence. Goonen v. State, 705 N.E.2d 209, 212 (Ind. Ct. App. 1999).

[16] The record reveals that Springer committed and was charged with conversion as a class A misdemeanor in October 2024. After being charged, Springer also committed possession of methamphetamine as a level 5 felony and two counts of possession of cocaine or narcotic drug as level 6 felonies under Cause No. 1 as well as possession of methamphetamine as a level 4 felony and possession of cocaine or narcotic drug as a level 6 felony under Cause No. 26. After being sentenced in Cause No. 49 in March 2025, the court granted Springer's Motion to Modify Sentence in May 2025. In October 2025, the court referenced Cause No. 75, which as detailed below involves multiple offenses, and Springer admitted that she had violated the terms and conditions of the Drug Court Program. In light of the record, we cannot say that the trial court abused its discretion by ordering Springer to serve her previously suspended sentence in Cause No. 49.

[17] To the extent Springer asserts that her sentence under Cause No. 26 of five years for possession of methamphetamine as a level 4 felony and her sentence under Cause No. 1 of two years for possession of methamphetamine as a level 5 felony are inappropriate, Ind. Appellate Rule 7(B) provides that we “may revise a sentence authorized by statute if, after due consideration of the trial court's decision, [we find] that the sentence is inappropriate in light of the nature of the offense and the character of the offender.” Under this rule, the burden is on the defendant to persuade the appellate court that his or her sentence is inappropriate. Childress v. State, 848 N.E.2d 1073, 1080 (Ind. 2006).

[18] Ind. Code § 35-50-2-5.5 provides that a person who commits a level 4 felony shall be imprisoned for a fixed term of between two and twelve years with the advisory sentence being six years. Ind. Code § 35-50-2-6 provides that a person who commits a level 5 felony shall be imprisoned for a fixed term of between one and six years with the advisory sentence being three years.

[19] Our review of the nature of the offenses reveals that, on January 2, 2025, Springer possessed five grams of methamphetamine as well as fentanyl and cocaine. On March 13, 2025, Springer possessed 20.6 grams of methamphetamine as well as fentanyl.

[20] Our review of the character of the offender reveals that Springer pled guilty. The presentence investigation report (“PSI”) prepared in Cause Nos. 1 and 26 noted that Springer, who was born in 1995, had pending charges in Cause No. 75 of two counts of dealing in a narcotic drug as level 2 felonies, possession of methamphetamine as a level 4 felony, dealing in cocaine as a level 5 felony, possession of a narcotic drug as a level 6 felony, and possession of cocaine as a level 6 felony. It indicated that she had one prior conviction of conversion under Cause No. 49. It states that she committed the offenses under Cause Nos. 1 and 26 while she was under court supervision. With respect to mental health, Springer advised that she was diagnosed with “PTSD at a hospital in Ohio in 2018” and she received counseling and therapy. Appellant's Appendix Volume II at 110.

[21] Springer reported not having a good childhood, being raised by her father, and that she “suffered from physical and verbal abuse from her father at age 6 to age 15.” Id. at 109. She has one child who resides with his grandmother. With respect to employment, the PSI indicates that Springer worked as a lead driver from 2018 to 2023, worked in “delivery” for Amazon from 2022 to 2023, and worked at Embassy cleaning in 2025. Id.

[22] With respect to substance abuse, Springer reported that she began using alcohol and marijuana at twelve years old and used occasionally until March 2025. According to the PSI, she began using cocaine at age twenty-two, she used twice per year, and she “stated she refrained from using cocaine until March of 2025, with that being her last known use.” Id. at 110. She used acid twice at age twenty-five, used ecstasy once at age twenty-six, began using methamphetamine in 2024 and used it daily until March 2025, used mushrooms three times in 2023, began using heroin in 2016 and used sporadically until 2019, and began using Percocet and Vicodin in 2016. She participated in a substance abuse treatment through the Allen County Superior Drug Court and stated that she “went through a Detox” in 2019. Id. With Springer's corrections mentioned at the December 5, 2025 hearing, the PSI indicates that, while in the Drug Court Program, Springer successfully completed the Park Center Addiction Residential Program on June 23, 2025, she was unsuccessfully discharged from Victory House for Women Recovery Residence on October 20, 2025, she accumulated one missed urine screen on July 3, 2025, and she was arrested under Cause No. 75 on October 20, 2025. The PSI indicates that Springer's overall risk assessment score using the Indiana risk assessment tool places her in the moderate risk to reoffend category.

[23] After due consideration, we conclude that Springer has not sustained her burden of establishing that her sentences, which were each less than the advisory sentence, are inappropriate in light of the nature of the offenses and her character.

[24] For the foregoing reasons, we affirm the trial court's order revoking Springer's probation and ordering that she serve 365 days of her suspended sentence under Cause No. 49 as well as her sentences under Cause Nos. 1 and 26.

[25] Affirmed.

FOOTNOTES

1.   In her appellant's brief, Springer cites the probable cause affidavits.

2.   The record contains three transcripts with respect to each of the lower court cause numbers, and the transcript cited above relates to the volume labeled with Cause No. 49.

3.   To the extent the trial court's May 15, 2025 order granting Springer's Motion to Modify Sentence ordered that the sentence be modified “to mirror or comport with the conditions of any Drug Court Intervention Program imposed,” Appellant's Appendix Volume II at 55, “[t]he Drug Court program is a forensic diversion program akin to community corrections, and we will review the termination of placement in a Drug Court program as we do a revocation of placement in community corrections.” Withers v. State, 15 N.E.3d 660, 663 (Ind. Ct. App. 2014). “For purposes of appellate review, we treat a hearing on a petition to revoke a placement in a community corrections program the same as we do a hearing on a petition to revoke probation.” Id. at 663 (quoting Monroe v. State, 899 N.E.2d 688, 691 (Ind. Ct. App. 2009)). Generally, we will review a trial court's sentencing decisions for drug court violations for an abuse of discretion. Id. at 665.

Brown, Judge.

Bailey, J., and Weissmann, J., concur.