A father accused of felony neglect of a dependent resulting in death in the case of the drowning death of his 2-year-old daughter in late 2021 has entered a guilty plea in Bartholomew Superior Court 1.
The attorney for Jeremy Sweet, 41, submitted the document Friday as a “confidential guilty plea,” a court spokeswoman said.
According to Indiana code, details of a plea agreement can’t be a part of the official record unless the judge approves them. Judge James Worton will not consider the agreement until a combined plea and sentencing hearing is conducted at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, June 11.
Sweet is accused of intentionally placing his daughter, Emma, in a situation that endangered her and resulted in her death.
Investigators say he drove his pickup truck off a 15-to-20 foot embankment in the 1700 block of Blessing Road into East Fork White River on Thanksgiving night, Nov. 24, 2021.
The toddler was buckled into her child safety seat as the cab became submerged in about 3 to 5 feet of water, according to a probable cause affidavit. Sweet told investigators he had unbuckled the toddler and placed her on either the roof or hood before “losing her” at some point, according to court documents.
Emma’s body was found on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021 about 2½ miles downstream from where the submerged truck was found, court records state.
Sweet was formally charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death as a Level 1 felony and possession of a hypodermic syringe as a Level 6 felony.
The defendant was already facing felony charges from two other cases when his truck went into the river. He was arrested during a major drug sweep in May 2021 and charged with possession of methamphetamine and unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon. In the other case, he’s charged with leaving the scene of an accident.
A habitual offender enhancement was formally introduced shortly after his arrest with the potential of adding six to 20 years to his sentence upon conviction. On Jan. 26, 2022, a hearing regarding the enhancement resulted in the court findings that Sweet was a high risk to reoffend, a high risk for failures to appear in court, and a danger to the community. His requests for bail reduction have been repeatedly denied.
