MP woman gets prison for traffic death

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

A Middle Point woman who killed a 90-year-old woman after allegedly “huffing” compressed air and passing out while driving was among several people sentenced to prison during hearings held Wednesday in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court.

Lisa Hundley, 32, was sentenced to six years in prison by Judge Charles D. Steele. Her driver’s license was also suspended for life and she was given a mandatory $20,000 fine.

Hundley apologized to the court for her actions, which led to the death of Geneva Lambert, 90, also of Middle Point, on August 5. Hundley reportedly had passed out after “huffing” compressed air from a can and drove a pickup truck into the side of Lambert’s vehicle, which was stopped for traffic at the intersection of Chenoweth Road and Lincoln Highway. Hundley’s 13-year-old daughter was also in the van at the time of the accident.

Hundley previously pleaded no contest to the aggravated vehicular homicide charge on October 15, while another aggravated vehicular homicide charge and a misdemeanor count of child endangering were dismissed as part of a plea negotiation.

Prior to sentencing, attorney Dillon Staas noted that, while his client had several misdemeanor convictions, she had never been convicted of a felony, and asked for community control for Hundley because she has five children, two of which live with her.

Judge Steele, however, ruled that she was not amenable to community control and handed down the prison sentence.

Several other people were given prison sentences during Wednesday’s court sessions, with two of those handed down for probation violations.

Ryan King, 26, of Van Wert, admitted to not reporting as ordered to his probation officer since September, and Judge Steele ordered that he serve a one-year prison term originally handed down on a drug trafficking charge. Credit was given for 227 days already served, shortening his prison term to less than five months.

Justin Taylor, 27, of Van Wert, was ordered to serve a nine-month prison term handed down last year for drug possession after he admitted he hadn’t reported to his probation officer since June. He was also given credit for time served, which shortened his prison sentence by 157 days — nearly two-thirds of the original sentence.

Jessica L. Thompson, 26, of Van Wert, was also sentenced to a six-month prison term on a charge of trafficking in drugs, a fifth-degree felony offense. Judge Steele also granted her credit for three days served while awaiting sentencing.

Kyle Bourelle, 29, of Celina, was sentenced to nine months in prison on a charge of abusing harmful intoxicants, a fifth-degree felony. Judge Steele ordered the sentence to run concurrently with a sentence handed down in Mercer County.

Two others were given community control sentences on Wednesday.

Sam Whisman, 20, of Van Wert, was given three years of community control on a charge of trafficking in drugs, a felony of the fifth degree. He must also undergo a substance abuse assessment and treatment and had his driver’s license suspended for six months.

Adam Stripe, 25, of Van Wert, also received three years of community control on a fourth-degree felony count of trafficking in drugs. He driver’s license was also suspended for six months and he must undergo a substance abuse assessment and treatment.

Megan Lippincott, 32, of Middle Point, changed her plea to guilty to an amended charge of attempted aggravated possession of drugs, a first-degree misdemeanor. She was given one year of community control on the charge, which was downgraded from a felony of the fifth degree.

Also on Wednesday, Nicholas Devecchio, 27, of Van Wert, entered a not guilty plea to two counts of trafficking in heroin, both felonies of the fourth degree, during an arraignment hearing on Wednesday. He was released on a personal surety bond and a pretrial conference was scheduled for 8 a.m. Wednesday, December 19.

Judge Steele also granted a request for early release from prison for Chris Lane, 49, of Delphos. Lane was originally sentenced to 12 months in prison on August 22 on a charge of trafficking in drugs, a fourth-degree felony offense. Judge Steele granted early release and ordered he serve three years of community control, which will include up to six months at the Western Ohio Regional Treatment and Habilitation (WORTH) Center in Lima.