MUNCIE -- A convicted murderer and other alleged repeat offenders remained in jail Monday after trial dates were set on their latest charges.

Delaware Circuit Court 4 Judge John Feick said it was discouraging to see a growing number of convicted felons returning to court to face new charges, a trend that also concerns Delaware County Prosecutor Mark McKinney.

Michael L. Kidd, 40, pleaded not guilty Monday to being a serious violent felon in possession of a firearm. Feick set an April 14 trial date as Kidd was led back to jail under a $40,000 bond.

In 1989, Kidd, then 22, was convicted of murder in the death of Jeffrey H. King, who was shot in the head with a sawed-off shotgun at point-blank range. Kidd was released from prison in 2005.

Also in Circuit Court 4 Monday, a Muncie couple allegedly involved in a drug-dealing ring with convicted cocaine dealer Dewayne Emberton received April 28 trial dates.

Ricky Lee Wilson, 44, and Dana Wilson, 52, are both charged with possession of a controlled substance, cocaine and marijuana, along with maintaining a common nuisance. They were being held under $50,000 bonds.

The Wilsons were arrested, along with Emberton, on Nov. 14 by members of the Muncie-Delaware County Drug Task Force. Authorities said the defendants were linked to an apartment along East Memorial Drive being used for the selling and storage of cocaine and marijuana.

Court records indicate Ricky Wilson has been convicted of at least six misdemeanors since 1991: three counts each of driving while intoxicated and battery.

Emberton, 25, pleaded not guilty last week to possession of cocaine and marijuana, maintaining a common nuisance and resisting law enforcement.

Feick set Emberton's bond at $100,000 and set his trial for Aug. 14. Emberton is on parole for a previous cocaine-related conviction.

Also Monday, Kirk Leslie Mullis Jr., 28, also received an April 12 trial date on allegations that he robbed a Village Pantry clerk while armed with a snow shovel.

Mullis is charged with robbery and battery, and McKinney's office has also filed a notice to seek habitual offender status for the Muncie man, who has since 2002 has been convicted of three counts of theft, driving while intoxicated and driving while suspended.

McKinney said a study was under way to determine the number of habitual offender cases filed over he past five years to determine whether a trend exists.

"The Indiana Department of Corrections, Legislature and Indiana Court of Appeals seem to all be working hard to get offenders out of prison quicker and quicker," he said.

The Legislature recently gave drug dealers one pass because the first dealing conviction does not count toward habitual offender enhancement, the prosecutor said.

McKinney supports a system similar to the federal government that requires offenders to do at least 85 percent of their sentence. Convicts in state courts generally serve about half of the sentence imposed by a judge.

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