COLUMBUS, Ind. — A Columbus man was sentenced to 40 years in prison after agreeing to a plea deal in connection with the 2021 drowning death of his 2-year-old daughter.
Jeremy Sweet received a 30-year sentence after pleading guilty to neglect of a dependent resulting in death, and an additional 10 years under the "Habitual Offender Enhancement," Bartholomew County Prosecuting Attorney Lindsey Holden-Kay confirmed to 13News.
Emma Sweet drowned in the White River in Bartholomew County in November 2021. The county coroner's office ruled the death a homicide and said the little girl died from "complications of hypothermia and asphyxia due to drowning."
Her body was recovered more than two miles from where Jeremy was found by duck hunters as his truck sat in the river waters.
Jeremy's wife reported him and Emma missing after they hadn't been seen since the previous afternoon.
At the time Jeremy was helped to shore by the duck hunters, he did not mention anything about anyone else in the truck.
When police asked Jeremy where Emma was, they said he gave conflicting stories — initially saying he had dropped her off at Casey's, then later saying he had unbuckled her from her car seat after his truck went into the river. Paramedics on the scene found Jeremy had a syringe and an empty baggie with the corner cut, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Jeremy was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital for treatment. There, he allegedly told a detective he got lost after making a wrong turn, and when he drove up onto an embankment, his truck got stuck. When Jeremy was trying to free the truck, he said it went too far forward and into the water.
Court documents say Jeremy told a detective he put Emma on the roof or hood of the truck, then held her for a while before later waking up and she was gone.
Police said Jeremy admitted to using meth and marijuana before going to the casino in Shelbyville Nov. 24, 2021.
Investigators claimed after Emma was placed in a dangerous situation by Jeremy, he took no action to rescue her from it and that inaction resulted in her death.