Probation violation nets WORTH Center

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

A Van Wert woman who violated her community control by taking bath salts was given some time in the Western Ohio Regional Treatment and Habilitation (WORTH) Center in Lima during hearings held Wednesday in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court.

Tasha Comment, 27, also failed to pay fees associated with her electronically monitored house arrest, but Judge Charles D. Steele said the bath salts were a big concern. “It’s the bath salts that worries me,” the judge said in deciding to send Comment to the WORTH Center for up to six months of intensive drug treatment.

Comment admitted she took bath salts and didn’t pay the EMHA fees. She was also given a new three-year community control sentence.

Another city woman also admitted to violating her community control by using heroin and marijuana.

Stephanie Farmer, 30, tested positive for THC — the active chemical in marijuana — as well as heroin, while also failing to pay court costs.

Judge Steele resentenced her to three years of community control, with additional requirements that she spend 10 days in jail and undergo a substance abuse assessment. Farmer was given credit for seven days already served prior to Wednesday’s hearing.

Allan Pierce, 44, of Van Wert, was sentenced to 60 days in jail and was determined to be a Tier 1 sex offender after pleading guilty to a charge of sexual imposition, a third-degree misdemeanor. As a Tier 1 sex offender, Pierce will have to register with the sheriff of the county he lives and works in for the next 15 years.

Judge Steele gave pierce credit for 11 days spent in jail awaiting sentencing.

April Diltz, 35, formerly of Van Wert and now a resident of Swanton, received three years of community control on two counts of possession of drugs, both fourth-degree felony offenses.

Diltz was arrested in August 2010 as part of an investigation conducted by the Ohio Crime Task Force and Van Wert Police Department.

She must also provide a list of medications she is taking and had her driver’s license suspended for six months.

Randal D. Keller, 51, of Van Wert, was placed on three years of community control on a charge of possession of drugs, a felony of the fifth degree.

Keller was charged with the offense after he was discovered in possession of heroin by city police who had gone to arrest him on an outstanding warrant issued in Van Wert Municipal Court.

James D. Ramirez, 21, of Van Wert changed his plea to guilty on a charge of burglary, a fourth-degree felony offense, during a hearing held Wednesday.

Van Wert police alleges that Ramirez entered city residence on July 26. A presentence investigation was ordered and sentencing set for 9 a.m. Wednesday, September 28.

Ronnie L. Black, 52, of Delphos, changed his plea to guilty to a charge of domestic violence, which was negotiated down to a first-degree misdemeanor from a fourth-degree felony.

A presentence investigation was ordered and sentencing set for 9 a.m. Wednesday, August 31.

Skyler D. Leugers, 20, of Celina, also changed his plea to guilty to a charge of grand theft-auto, a fourth-degree felony offense.

A presentence investigation was ordered and sentencing scheduled for 9 a.m. September 28.

Justin Tansy, 26, of Brownsburg, Ind., pleaded not guilty to a charge of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, a first-degree misdemeanor, during arraignment hearings held Wednesday. He was released on a personal surety bond and a pretrial conference scheduled for 8 a.m. Wednesday, August 24.

Dustin Garrett, 27, of Van Wert, entered a plea of not guilty to a charge of possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony.

He was released on an unsecured personal surety bond and a pretrial conference set for 8 a.m. August 24.