Decorated Vietnam vet gets last break

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

It was a light day in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday, with four people sentenced for a variety of offenses.

A former Vietnam War “tunnel rat” with six Purple Hearts was given a final chance at redemption by Judge Charles D. Steele on Wednesday.

The judge, himself a Vietnam veteran and a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, sentenced Lonnie Gentry, 65, of Ohio City, to three years of community control on a charge of domestic violence, a felony of the fourth degree, and also added a treatment program for Gentry’s alcohol problem.

The Ohio City veteran said he had not had a drink since the day he promised Judge Steele he would quit, adding that he appreciated the fact that the judge did not put him prison at that time.

“I wanted to make sure you knew that my word is worth something,” Gentry said.

Judge Steele said that, while Gentry’s distinguished military record was a mitigating factor in his treatment by the judge this time, he indicated that any future slip-ups would be dealt with the same as any other defendant.

Gentry will undergo a month-long treatment program at the Marion, Ind., Veterans Administration Hospital, starting Tuesday, November 27. He must also complete treatment plans related to mental health and substance abuse assessments ordered by the judge.

Also sentenced on Wednesday were the following:

Lester E. Sulfridge III, 25, of Van Wert, was given a year of community control on a charge of abusing harmful intoxicants, a first-degree misdemeanor offense. He must also undergo a substance abuse assessment and complete treatment.

Rachel Clark, 27, of Ohio City, was given a year of community control on a first-degree misdemeanor charge of theft. She was also ordered to pay restitution to the victim in the amount of $1,800.

Jared Garwood, 28, of Van Wert, was given three years of community control when sentenced Wednesday on two counts of trafficking in drugs, one a fourth-degree felony and the other a felony of the fifth degree. He was also given 60 days in jail, although with work release, had his driver’s license suspended for six months and must undergo a substance abuse assessment and treatment.