Noblesville man gets 17-and-a-half years for dealing fentanyl

May 16—A man found guilty of conspiracy to commit dealing a narcotic drug that ultimately resulted in the death of a Kokomo man was sentenced to 17-and-a-half years in the Indiana Department of Correction during a hearing Wednesday inside Howard Circuit Court.

Quinn Thurman, 32, of Noblesville was also arrested on an additional charge of dealing a controlled substance resulting in death, but court documents indicate he was acquitted on that count during a jury trial held earlier this year.

Per Thurman's sentencing guidelines, 10 of those 17-and-a-half years will be spent in prison, with the remaining balance to be served on supervised probation.

That sentence can also be modified upon successful completion of the IDOC's Purposeful Incarceration program, according to Howard County Circuit Court Judge Lynn Murray.

Officials noted a co-defendant in the case, 25-year-old Kelsey Davis, also faces the same charges as Thurman.

Her case is still pending, and she's due in court for a pretrial hearing in July.

It was Feb. 23, 2023, when officers with the Kokomo Police Department responded to the 2900 block of Sharon Drive in response to a reported overdose, per a probable cause affidavit filed through the Howard County Clerk's Office at the time.

Despite lifesaving measures, 28-year-old Aaron Gideon — who was reportedly in a relationship with Davis at the time — was later pronounced dead.

Court records indicate it was Davis who called 911, and she reportedly told investigators at the scene she woke up to Gideon not breathing, so she administered Narcan.

Davis also reportedly told investigators she believed Gideon purchased fentanyl from Thurman, adding she "had gone earlier in the evening to Noblesville to meet with Quinn and to purchase $125 worth of cocaine and fentanyl," per court documents.

During the course of the investigation, police reportedly located several conversations between Gideon and Thurman on Gideon's phone, with the subject of those conversations revolving around illicit drugs Davis would drive to Noblesville to obtain for Gideon.

The conversations between the two men, as highlighted in court documents, stretched back to December 2022.

Hours after Gideon's death, investigators brought Davis in for questioning.

During the interview, Davis reportedly told police she went to Noblesville hours before Gideon's death to meet with Thurman and purchase cocaine and fentanyl.

The woman added she purchased the drugs with her own money.

Davis then told investigators she drove back to Kokomo with the illegal drugs — which she stated Thurman often buys from a person in Indianapolis — and gave them to Gideon, per court documents.

Davis added that at some point that evening, Gideon must have ingested the fentanyl and subsequently overdosed.

During Thurman's sentencing hearing Thursday, the defendant did not directly address Gideon's death, but he did admit he realized the "severity" of his crime and believes he is "capable of becoming a law-abiding citizen again."

Thurman's father, David Freeman, also took the stand Wednesday and asked the court for mercy for his son.

"I know the court sees Quinn as another guy out doing drugs, but the court doesn't see the real Quinn," Freeman, who works for the IDOC, testified. "... I see everything that goes on in corrections. Let him get the help that he needs. People are so quick to throw them (those charged with crimes) away. ... That's a human being right there. That's my son. Let him have a chance."

Sydney Thurman, Quinn's wife, also testified Wednesday and told the court that her young children — who were sitting in the courtroom during sections of the sentencing hearing — miss their father.

"I get asked every day when he's coming home," Sydney said. "Taking care of four kids alone is extremely hard. I know my husband made a mistake, a big one. ... See my husband for who he is and not for his mistake."

While Murray did agree Quinn did not seem to have a significant prior criminal history, the judge told the court there has to be accountability for crimes as serious as the one the defendant was found guilty of.

"You were dealing and putting into commerce lethal drugs. ... You were keeping them in your own home, where your wife and children were, where they live and sleep. ... Mr. Gideon died of lethal drugs that you sold to Kelsey Davis. There are victims."