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Sands Enters Guilty Plea In Death Of Trooper
Monday, January 20, 2025

(AUBURN) – A man has plead guilty to his part in the death of an Indiana State Trooper.

DeKalb County Superior Court on line records show that on Friday Terry Sands II of Marion plead guilty to resisting law enforcement, and felony counts of use of a motor vehicle causing death and aggravated battery.

By entering into the plea agreement, charges of murder, operating with a controlled substance resulting in death and resisting law enforcement have been dismissed.

Sands was the driver of a vehicle that was involved in a crash that took the life of Indiana State Police Master Trooper James Bailey on March 3, 2023.

Bailey was assisting other troopers on I-69 with a traffic backup due to a result of weather related vehicle crashes near the 326 mile marker south of Auburn. He was made aware of an individual driving at a high rate of speed and evading an officer from the Fort Wayne Police Department approaching his location.

Bailey put down stop sticks. Witnesses and police videos show Sands driving into the median on I-69 and striking Bailey.

Sands admitted in court that he was driving the vehicle and had been pulled over in Fort Wayne, where he fled from the officer. He also admitted to striking Bailey.

Sentencing is scheduled for February 27. Sands could face between 30 and 46 years in prison.



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