Mendon teen given prison sentence

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

A Mendon teenager sent to prison on burglary and theft charges was one of five people to appear in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday morning.

Judge Charles D. Steele sentenced Dallas Fortner, 18, to two years in prison on one count of aggravated burglary, a felony of the second degree, and 12 months on a fourth-degree felony charge of theft. They sentences are to run concurrently, giving Fortner a total of two years in prison, minus 92 days being credited for time served.

Judge Steele noted Fortner’s lengthy juvenile record as reasons for his sentencing the teen to a term in prison. The Mendon resident must also pay $4,900 in restitution, as well as court costs.

Tanya Turner, 32, of Payne, was given a year of community control on a charge of theft, a first-degree misdemeanor, but must also pay $308 in restitution in connection with the charge. The charge was reduced from a felony of the fifth degree in return for her guilty plea on February 13.

Three others entered changes of plea during hearings held Wednesday in Common Pleas Court.

Tom Waxler, 36, of Defiance, entered a plea of guilty to a charge of vandalism, a felony of the fifth degree, for damaging property of the Van Wert County Correctional Facility. A presentence investigation was ordered and sentencing scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 24.

Desma Chesbro, 21, of Van Wert, changed her plea to guilty to corrupting another with drugs, a felony of the fourth degree. A presentence investigation was ordered in her case, and she was ordered to appear for sentencing at 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 8.

William Crutchfield, 40, of Van Wert, entered a plea of guilty to a charge of felonious assault, a felony of the second degree. He also pleaded guilty to a specification that he used a 1995 Ford vehicle in the commission of the crime, A charge of having weapons under a disability was dismissed in exchange for his guilty plea to the assault charge and specification.

A presentence investigation was ordered and sentencing set for 9 a.m. May 8.