McKee gets prison, pleads to more charges

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

A Van Wert woman was sentenced to prison and later arraigned on even more serious charges during hearings held this past week in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court.

Ashley McKee, 37, of Van Wert, was sentenced to a year in prison on each of two counts of failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer (fleeing and eluding). The charges are felonies of the third degree. Judge Martin Burchfield ordered the sentences to run consecutive to one another, and gave McKee credit for 123 days already served.

Later, McKee entered not guilty pleas to one count each of involuntary manslaughter, a felony of the first degree; corrupting another with drugs, a second-degree felony; complicity, a felony of the second degree; conspiracy, a third-degree felony; and trafficking in a Fentanyl-related compound, a felony of the fifth degree. 

Due to her incarceration on the above charges, an unsecured personal surety bond was set in the case, with a telephone pretrial conference scheduled for 3 p.m. Tuesday, February 16.

Also this week, Chad Diltz, 44, of Van Wert, admitted to violating his probation and his electronic house arrest by testing positive for drugs. He was ordered to serve out the balance of his time (until January 31) in jail.

Adam Purdy, 43, of Delphos, was sentenced to 180 days in jail, with credit for 136 days already served, on a charge of aggravated possession of drugs, a felony of the fifth degree. 

Ethan Goff, 31, of Venedocia, signed a waiver of his constitutional right to a speedy trial and requested additional time to prepare his case, which was granted. An additional pretrial conference was scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 9.