9 people sentenced in local CP Court

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

A man sentenced to six years in prison on a sex-related charge was one of four people receiving prison terms during hearings held Wednesday in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court.

Jeremy Neeley, 24, of Van Wert, received the six-year prison term on a charge of sexual battery, a felony of the second degree.

The charge stemmed from an investigation by Van Wert police and Van Wert County Children’s Services that concluded that Neeley had had sexual contact with a 7-year-old girl. Neeley, who had been charged with rape, later pleaded guilty to the sexual battery offense.

As part of his sentence, Neeley was also classified as a Tier 3 sex offender, which means he will have to register with the sheriff’s department of the county where he works, goes to school or lives, every 90 days for the rest of his life.

Judge Charles D. Steele gave Neeley credit for 264 days spent in jail while awaiting final disposition of his case.

Ryan Woodall, 37, of Willshire, was sentenced to 36 months in prison on a charge of robbery and a three-year prison term on a felony drunk driving charge during a hearing held Wednesday. Both charges are third-degree felony offenses.

Woodall was charged with robbery for an incident that took place October 21 at the Willshire Drive Inn. According to the Van Wert County Sheriff’s Department, Woodall allegedly ordered a sandwich at the store but didn’t pay for the sandwich, instead ordering an employee to give him money, sticking his hand into his sweatshirt to indicate he had a gun. After the employee refused to give him money, Woodall left with the sandwich and fries.

The driving under the influence charge stemmed from Woodall’s arrest by deputies on August 7 after they attempted to stop him after he left the Brookside Convenience Store on West Main Street in Van Wert. Woodall was determined to be under the influence of alcohol and also admitted to using bath salts.

The third-degree felony offense was due to previous convictions of Woodall’s for drunk driving.

Judge Steele ordered the prison terms to be served concurrently — at the same time — and also suspended Woodall’s driving privileges for life.

Sean Smith, 26, of Van Wert, was given a 36-month prison term on a charge of endangering children, a third-degree felony offense.

The charge stems from an investigation by city police and Children’s Services into an incident where a 3-year-old child stopped breathing at Smith’s residence. Although the child was later resuscitated, other injuries were found by medical personnel, who reported the incident.

A subsequent investigation showed that, in addition to the first child’s injuries, other children in the family were malnourished and found to have bruises indicating earlier mistreatment.

Judge Steele gave Smith credit for 82 days served while awaiting sentencing.

Nicholas Bendele, 29, of Van Wert, was given a six-month prison term on a charge of misuse of credit cards, a felony of the fifth degree. The sentence is to run concurrently with a sentence Bendele is already serving.

Also Wednesday, Christopher Adkins, 31, of Van Wert, was sentenced to 180 days in jail for violating his community control program. Adkins was charged with domestic violence and tested positive for marijuana use, both violations of his probation stipulations. He was also resentenced to a new three-year term of community control.

Cameron R. Collins, 31, of Fort Wayne, Ind., pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of drugs, and was granted  a request to seek treatment in lieu of conviction. Collins will be supervised by the Van Wert County Adult Probation Department during his treatment.

Bridgette Channel, 42, of Van Wert, was given a year of community control on a charge of theft, a misdemeanor of the fifth degree, and was ordered to pay restitution of $99.05 to the victim in the case.

Cory Maynard, 33, of Van Wert, was sentenced to 180 days in jail on a charge of receiving stolen property, a first-degree misdemeanor. Judge Steele also ordered Maynard to make restitution in the amount of $999.99 to the victim. Maynard was given credit for 56 days already served.

Skyler D. Leugers, 20, of Celina, admitted to violating terms of his community control related to electronically monitored house arrest and was resentenced to three more years of community control, as well as up to six months in the Western Ohio Regional Treatment and Habilitation (WORTH) Center in Lima.