14 people arraigned in County CP Court

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

A total of 14 people were arraigned during hearings held Wednesday in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court, including former Delphos business owner Robert Fishbein.

Fishbein, 50, former CEO of I&K Distributors in Delphos, is currently serving three years at the Southeastern Correctional Facility in Lancaster on charges of intimidation of a witness and felony telephone harassment.

He appeared Wednesday for arraignment on eight counts of violating a civil protection order, but his arraignment was continued until today after he announced his intention to act as his own attorney in the case.

Also Wednesday, Chad Neal, 27, of Bluffton, and Jeffrey Neal, 49, of Delphos, who both entered not guilty pleas to one count of felonious assault, a felony of the second degree. The men were released on personal surety bonds and will appear for pretrial conferences at 8 a.m. Wednesday, May 21.

Local gun dealer Forest Gordon, 50, and Dain Stauffer, 36, of Cairo, were also arraigned on charges related to falsifying documents to obtain a concealed carry permit.

Stauffer pleaded not guilty to a charge of falsification to obtain a concealed carry permit, while Gordon, who owns Patriot Arms in Van Wert, entered a not guilty plea to one count of complicity to falsification to obtain a concealed carry permit. Both charges are felonies of the fourth degree.

Both will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. Wednesday, May 14.

Others arraigned include the following:

Joshua Allen, 41, of New Haven, Ind., entered a not guilty plea to three counts of possession of drugs, each a felony of the fifth degree. He was released on a personal surety bond after signing a waiver of extradition since he lives in Indiana, and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. May 21.

Allyson Brown, 21, of Van Wert, pleaded not guilty to a charge of possession of drugs, a felony of the fifth degree, which also included a specification she used a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer in the commission of the crime.

Judge Charles D. Steele set a $5,000 cash bond in the case, although there is a possibility she could be released on electronically monitored house arrest if she qualifies. A pretrial conference was scheduled for 8 a.m. May 14.

Andrew Taylor, 28, of Van Wert, entered a not guilty plea to a charge of possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony. He was released on a personal surety bond and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. May 14.

Kyle Goodwin, 25, of Van Wert, pleaded not guilty to two counts of trafficking in a counterfeit substance, and one count each of trafficking in drugs and complicity to trafficking in a counterfeit controlled substance, all fifth-degree felonies, and a fourth-degree felony count of trafficking in drugs. He was ordered held on the same bond set in pending cases before the court and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. May 14.

Kari Hatfield, 24, of Van Wert, entered not guilty pleas to one count each of trafficking in counterfeit controlled substances, a felony of the fifth degree, and complicity to trafficking in counterfeit controlled substances, a fourth-degree felony. She was released on a surety bond and a pretrial conference scheduled for 8 a.m. May 14.

Jason Zamora, 36, of Antwerp, pleaded not guilty to two counts of trafficking in heroin and one count of trafficking in counterfeit controlled substances, all felonies of the fourth degree. He was ordered held on a $10,000 cash bond and a pretrial conference was set for 8 a.m. May 14.

Jai Martin, 41, of Van Wert, entered a not guilty plea to one count of trafficking in heroin, a fifth-degree felony offense. He was released on a personal surety bond and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. May 14.

Steven Parsons Jr., 35, of Van Wert, pleaded not guilty to one count each of aggravated possession of drugs, and possession of a controlled substance, both felonies of the fifth degree. He was released on a surety bond and a pretrial conference scheduled for 8 a.m. May 21.

Shane Harter, 33, of Delphos, entered a not guilty plea to one count of burglary, a second-degree felony offense. He was released on a surety bond and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. May 21.

Four people were also sentenced Wednesday in Common Pleas Court.

Ryan Miller, 24, of Van Wert, was sentenced on two separate cases. The first case included two counts of theft, each a fifth-degree felony, and one count of theft by deception, a felony of the fourth degree. The second case involved a charge of possession of drugs, also a felony of the fifth degree.

Miller was sentenced to three years of community control and will spend up to six months in the Western Ohio Regional Treatment and Habilitation (WORTH) Center in Lima. His driver’s license was also suspended for six months.

Roger Hibbard, 37, of Paulding, was given one year of community control on a charge of domestic violence, a misdemeanor of the first degree, and will also have to serve 90 days in jail on the charge. He was also ordered to have no contact with the victim in the case.

Robert Ericsson, 52, of Van Wert, was sentenced to three years of community control on charges of aggravated assault, a felony of the third degree, and one fourth-degree count of assault. Community control was set in the case to allow Ericsson a charge to complete a Veterans Administration treatment program and a follow-up to the treatment. He was ordered held in jail until the treatment program begins.

David Leaser, 37, of Van Wert, was sentenced on a charge of possession of heroin, a felony of the fifth degree. A 1994 Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck was also ordered forfeited, since it was determined that the vehicle was used in the commission of a felony offense. Leaser’s driver’s license was also suspended for six months.

Todd Wheeler, 43, of Elida, changed his plea from not guilty to guilty to a charge of theft, a felony of the fifth degree. He then requested, and was granted, treatment in lieu of conviction.

Jacquelyn Forthman, 25, of Ohio City, denied she violated her treatment in lieu of conviction program, and a hearing will be scheduled to hear evidence in the case.