City man pleads guilty to rape count

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

The rape trial of a Van Wert man scheduled to start this morning is pushed off the docket when he entered a guilty plea during a hearing held Wednesday in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court.

Jeremy Neeley, 24, pleaded guilty to one charge of rape, a first-degree felony offense, in connection with the alleged rape of a 7-year-old girl who was in Neeley’s care earlier this year.

In exchange for the guilty plea, Assistant County Prosecutor Kevin Taylor agreed to dismiss a second rape charge and remove a specification that the victim was under the age of 10. Taylor also told Judge Charles D. Steele that his office would recommend a sentence of eight years in prison.

After he accepted Neeley’s guilty plea, Judge Steele noted that the Van Wert resident would be classified as a Tier II sexual offender, which means he must register with the sheriff of the county in which he resides for a period of 25 years.

Judge Steele ordered a presentence investigation in the case and scheduled sentencing for 9 a.m. Wednesday, September 21.

An Indiana man alleged to be involved in a number of area burglaries was arraigned in Common Pleas Court on Wednesday.

Isaac J. Gase, 29, of Decatur, Ind., entered not guilty pleas to a five-count indictment charging him with burglary, all felonies of the second degree.

Judge Steele ordered that Gase, who is currently incarcerated in the Mercer County Jail on similar charges, be held on a $100,000 cash bond, as well as a personal surety bond.

Gase and Crystal R. Stauffer of Monroe, Ind., were indicted for five home invasion burglaries that took place in the county in May 2010. The sheriff’s department filed the charges after Gase and Stauffer were arrested in Mercer County as a result of burglaries the pair allegedly committed there.

Stauffer has already received a two-year prison sentence for her part in the Van Wert County burglaries, which were committed to get money for drugs.

A pretrial conference was set for 8 a.m. August 3.

Nancy L. Pontious, 44, of Van Wert, changed her plea to guilty to a charge of attempted driving while under the influence, a fifth-degree felony offense.

Pontious was arrested February 4 during a traffic stop for drunk driving, and it was found then that she had at least three prior drunk driving convictions in the past six years. She remains on probation for a previous offense.

Judge Steele ordered a presentence investigation in the case and delayed sentencing until November so that she can complete an inpatient treatment program.

Also Wednesday, Leonard L. Lash III, 46, of Elyria, was sentenced to 12 months in prison on a fourth-degree felony drunk driving charge. His driver’s license was also suspended for five years as part of his sentence.

Judge Steele also recommended that Lash be placed in the intensive prison program for substance abusers, which could provide the man with some help with his alcohol problem.

Lash was arrested in January by Van Wert police following a traffic stop in which he was found to be under the influence of alcohol. A subsequent records check revealed that he had at least three previous drunk driving arrests in the past six years.

Rory J. Bigelow, 28, of Ohio City, was given a 30-day jail sentence and one year of community control sanctions during his sentencing hearing on a charge of first-degree misdemeanor theft charge.

Bigelow pleaded guilty to stealing electric power from the Ohio City Utilities Department and natural gas from Dominion Gas Company last winter. The Ohio City man tampered with utility meters in order to receive utility service without paying.

The charges stemmed from a Van Wert County Sheriff’s Department investigation.

In addition to the jail term, Judge Steele ordered Bigelow to pay $1,106.46 as restitution for the utility thefts.

Allan Pierce, 44, of Van Wert, admitted to violating his bond conditions by using alcohol after he was found to be intoxicated when police were called to his residence.

Judge Steele revoked Pierce’s personal surety bond and ordered him held on a $10,000 cash bond. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Pierce for 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, August 3.