Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

FORT WAYNE – Sterling Bastin, 56 years old, of Wawaka, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Holly A. Brady on his plea of guilty to distribution of methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

Bastin was sentenced to a total of 168 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release.

According to documents in the case, in December 2020, and February 2021, Bastin sold over 140 grams of methamphetamine to another individual. In May 2021, law enforcement initiated a traffic stop of the vehicle Bastin was driving. However, he disregarded emergency lights and sirens, fled from law enforcement at speeds of 100 mph, lost control of his vehicle and spun out into a ditch, striking a stop sign. Officers seized an additional 3.5 grams of methamphetamine as well as a digital scale from his vehicle.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Drug Enforcement Administration with the assistance of the Auburn Police Department, the Dekalb County Sheriff’s Department and the Butler Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brent A. Ecenbarger.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.