Spencerville man pleads to sex counts

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Four persons were arraigned while two were sentenced, three changed their pleas and one appeared for a probation violation during hearings held Wednesday in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court.

A Spencerville man changed his plea to three counts of importuning, each of those a felony of the second degree. Fredreick Helman, 34, entered the pleas in exchange of the dismissal of two other importuning counts, as well as one count each of attempted rape and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.

Helman faces a maximum of 24 years in prison on the charges. A presentence investigation was ordered by Judge Charles D. Steele and a sentencing hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday, August 7.

A $25,000 cash bond was continued in the case.

Ricky Girod, 51, of Grover Hill, also changed his plea on Wednesday, pleading guilty to one count of illegal possession of chemicals for the manufacture of drugs, a felony of the third degree.

A presentence investigation was ordered and sentencing set for 9 a.m. Wednesday, July 24.

Danielle Johnson, 26, of Van Wert, entered a plea of guilty to a charge of trafficking in heroin, a felony of the fifth degree. She then requested treatment in lieu of conviction, which Judge Steele granted.

Those arraigned on grand jury indictments included the following:

Rhonda Kline, 52, of Delphos, pleaded not guilty to one count of aggravated trafficking in drugs, a third-degree felony, as well as two second-degree felony aggravated drug trafficking counts and two counts of trafficking in drugs, both felonies of the fifth degree.

She was released on a personal surety bond and a pretrial conference scheduled for 8 a.m. Wednesday, July 17.

Joshua Watson, 20, of Delphos, entered a not guilty plea to three counts of theft, each a fifth-degree felony. He was also released on a personal surety bond, with the added requirement that he have an 11 p.m. curfew, and he will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. July 17.

Two Defiance residents pleaded guilty to felony counts during their arraignment on Wednesday.

Courtney Estes, 25, entered a guilty plea to a charge of trespassing in a habitation, a felony of the fourth degree. A second count, complicity to aggravated assault, was dismissed in exchange for his guilty plea.

Angela Estes, 31, also pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated assault, a felony of the fourth degree. Presentence investigations were ordered on both defendants and sentencing was scheduled for 9 a.m. August 7.

Two people were also sentenced on Wednesday.

Rodney Pulfer, 31, of Convoy, was given three years of community control, including 180 days in jail, on a fifth-degree felony count of possession of drugs. He was also granted work release while in jail, and his driver’s license was suspended for six months.

Natasha Masters, 28, of Van Wert, was given three years of community control, to include 90 days of electronically monitored house arrest, on two counts of aggravated trafficking in drugs. Her driver’s license was also suspended for six months and she was given a $5,000 mandatory fine on each count and must pay $1,000 in restitution to the West Central Ohio Crime Task Force.

Judge Steele commended Masters for making positive decisions while awaiting sentencing on the trafficking counts.

Also appearing Wednesday in Common Pleas Court was Megan Wannemacher, 27, of Van Wert, who admitted to violating her community control by being terminated from the Western Ohio Regional Treatment and Habilitation (WORTH) Center in Lima. She was ordered to serve 11 days in jail, which is the remainder of a nine-month sentence originally handed down in the case.