Change of plea set for Markle

A change of plea hearing has been set for a Portland man who faces criminal charges in connection to his son’s death.

Jay Circuit Court Judge Brian Hutchison on Friday scheduled a change of plea hearing for Ryan Markle, 40, for 3 p.m. July 22.

Markle is charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a Level 1 felony.

Three-month-old Hayden Markle died March 6, 2020. An autopsy found the cause of death to be acute methamphetamine intoxication.

Ryan Markle, whose trial is scheduled for Sept. 2, also faces charges of possession of methamphetamine, a Level 5 felony, and possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor.

Jennifer Young, Hayden Markle’s mother, faced the same charges. She pleaded guilty to the neglect of a dependent May 17 and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. The other charges were dropped as part of the plea agreement.

Jay County prosecutor Wes Schemenaur explained after Young’s hearing that while the initial autopsy determined the cause of death to be acute methamphetamine intoxication, the pathologist involved later also listed asphyxiation as a cause. (That detail came up during a deposition in Ryan Markle’s case.) Hayden Markle was sleeping with his mother at the time of his death.

The fact that the pathologist would not definitively say whether or not methamphetamines were the cause of death complicated the case, Schemenaur added.

Portland police and Jay Emergency Medical Service were called March 6, 2020, to an upstairs apartment at 221 S. Meridian St., Portland, about a 3-month-old child who was not breathing. Hayden Markle was then transported to IU Health Jay, where he was later pronounced dead.

Indiana State Police, Indiana Department of Child Services, Jay County Coroner’s Office and Jay County Prosecutor’s Office investigated the boy’s death, resulting in the April 15, 2020, arrests of Ryan Markle and Young.

In Indiana, Level 1 felony charges carry a sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.