VW man in jail on agg burglary charges

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

A Van Wert man with a history of trouble is in jail on a $250,000 bond, with 10 percent of that to be paid in cash, after he appeared on a charge of aggravated burglary Friday in Van Wert Municipal Court.

Ryan E. Homier, 31, made an initial appearance in Municipal Court on Friday morning on the aggravated burglary charge, a felony of the first degree. Homier is accused of breaking into a residence on North Chestnut Street early Friday morning and assaulting a former girlfriend who lived there.

Assistant Van Wert County Prosecutor Martin Burchfield requested a large cash bond in the case, noting: “next to homicide, aggravated burglary is one of the most serious offenses.”

Aggravated burglary carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000.

Homier vehemently denied the charge against him and said the alleged victim would testify on his behalf, and state that she called him to her residence after she was assaulted by another person and that she would confirm that he did not commit the offense himself.

Burchfield said that, while the prosecutor’s office would check out Homier’s story, until it was confirmed he felt the large cash bond was appropriate.

Homier pleaded with Judge Leatherman to allow him to be released on a personal surety bond, noting that he has a job orientation scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday, September 12.

“I have a legitimate chance to become a productive member of society,” Homier said, noting that he also had two young children he was trying to support.

Also at the hearing was Municipal Court Probation Officer Zach Miller and local attorney Dillon Staas, who represented Homier through the Van Wert County Public Defender’s Office.

The defendant is currently on a three-year community control sentence on a fourth-degree felony charge of burglary, and had to spend up to six months in the Western Ohio Regional Treatment and Habilitation (WORTH) Center in Lima.