VW man pleads to child endangering

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

A Van Wert man who pleaded guilty to child endangerment was one of three people who changed their pleas to charges in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday. Three others were sentenced.

Cody McGinnis, 29, of Van Wert, entered a guilty plea to the child endangering charge as part of a prosecutor’s bill of information. The charge is a felony of the third degree. A presentence investigation was ordered by Judge Charles D. Steele, who scheduled the case for sentencing at 9 a.m. Wednesday, July 17.

Also changing their pleas were the following:

• Jacqueline Davis, 22, of Delphos, entered a plea of guilty to a charge of possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony offense. She then requested, and was granted, treatment in lieu of conviction after submitting a treatment plan.
• Chad Caldwell, 35, of Van Wert, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of domestic violence, a first-degree misdemeanor. He was originally indicted on a fourth-degree felony domestic violence count. He was sentenced to a year of community control, which includes 60 days in jail, to be served concurrently with another sentence handed down in Van Wert Municipal Court.

Three others were sentenced Wednesday in Common Pleas Court. They include:

• James Sidle, 49, of Convoy, was given three years of community control on a charge of attempted driving under the influence, a fifth-degree felony. He must also spend up to six months in the Western Ohio Regional Treatment and Habilitation (WORTH) Center in Lima and undergo a substance abuse assessment and any treatment recommended.
• Shaun Duckett, 22, of Delphos, was sentenced to three years of community control on a charge of attempted burglary, a felony of the fourth degree. Duckett must also spend up to six months at the WORTH Center and pay restitution of $210 to the victim in the case.
• Jeremy Lindeman, 31, of Van Wert, was given three years of community control on a drug possession count, a felony of the fifth degree. Lindeman was given 180 days in jail as part of his sentenced, and also had his driver’s license suspended for six months.

Also Wednesday, Tiffany Wolford, 22, of Van Wert, denied violating her probation by refusing treatment at the WORTH Center. She will remain in jail until a hearing is held on the charge.

Landon Grayless, 30, of Fort Wayne, Ind., was granted a continuance of his trial on a charge of drug possession and also signed a waiver of his right to a speedy trial as part of his request.