2 arraigned, others appear in CP Court

Van Wert independent

Two people were arraigned and several others appeared for a variety of hearings this week in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court.

Christopher Britt, 24, of Van Wert, pleaded not guilty to a charge of possession of drugs, a felony of the fifth degree, during an arraignment hearing held Monday. He was released on a personal surety bond and a pretrial conference scheduled for 8 a.m. Wednesday, April 16.

Allyson Brown, 21, of Van Wert, entered a plea of not guilty to a charge of breaking and entering, a fifth-degree felony, during her arraignment on Wednesday. She was ordered released on a personal surety bond and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. Wednesday, April 2.

Also Wednesday, two people appeared on charges they violated their community control probation programs.

Jeremy Lindeman, 32, of Van Wert, admitted to violating his probation by testing positive for drugs. He was resentenced to three years of community control, with an additional 90 days in jail. Judge Charles D. Steele said he would consider suspending the jail sentence if Lindeman enters an inpatient substance abuse treatment program.

Beth McCarthy, 44, of Convoy, admitted to violating her probation in two cases by failing to report to her probation officer. She was sentenced to 67 days in jail in connection with the first case and 180 days in jail on the second case. Judge Steele ordered the jail terms to run consecutively, but also gave McCarthy credit for 29 days already served.

Kaitlin Russell, 18, of Delphos, entered a plea of guilty to a prosecutor’s bill of information on a charge of possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony offense. She then requested, and was granted, treatment in lieu of conviction. A charge of corrupting another with drugs, a fourth-degree felony, was dismissed in exchange for her guilty plea.

Anthony Oliver, 19, of Van Wert, changed his plea to guilty to charges related to two pending cases. In the first case, Oliver entered guilty pleas to a charge of breaking and entering, a fifth-degree felony offense. Three other breaking and entering counts were dismissed in exchange for his plea. In the second case, he pleaded guilty to a fourth-degree felony charge of burglary, reduced from a third-degree felony as part of a plea negotiation.

A presentence investigation was ordered and sentencing scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 30.

Mary Showman, 52, of Van Wert, appeared in court for a hearing on her eligibility to have a public defender represent her in court on a charge of domestic violence, a felony of the fourth degree.

Judge Steele determined that Showman did not meet the financial guidelines for a public defender and told her she would have to hire her own attorney.