23 in local CP Court for criminal hearings

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Five people were sentenced, six appeared for change-of-plea hearings, and three were arraigned on grand jury indictments in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court over the past week. A total of 23 people appeared for criminal hearings in the court during the past week.

Jesse Miller, 30, of Convoy, was sentenced to 15 months in prison on one count each of attempted tampering with evidence and improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, each a felony of the fourth degree. Judge Martin Burchfield ordered the sentences to run concurrently and gave Miller credit for 47 days already served.

Jody Finnen, 54, of Delphos, was sentenced to 90 days in jail on a charge of endangering children, a misdemeanor of the first degree, with the last 60 days to be served on electronically monitored house arrest. The jail sentence will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 6. Finnen must also perform 100 hours of community service and undergo substance abuse and mental health assessments and any treatment recommended.

Joshua Weaver, 39, of Lima, was sentenced to three years of community control on a charge of vandalism, to include 120 days of electronically monitored house arrest, beginning Monday, March 1, 100 hours of community service, and mental health and substance abuse assessments and treatment. Weaver must also pay $9,188.57 in restitution.

Zachary Smith, 22, of Van Wert, was sentenced to two years of community control on one count of domestic violence, a felony of the fourth degree. He must perform 200 hours of community service, have no alcohol or drugs without a prescription, and undergo substance abuse and mental health assessments and any recommended treatment.

Brandon Decker, 23, of Van Wert, was sentenced to one year of community control on a charge of domestic violence, a misdemeanor of the first degree, to include remaining on electronic house arrest for an additional 90 days.

Those appearing for change-of-plea hearings include the following:

Samantha Lacy, 28, of Van Wert, changed her plea to guilty to one count of domestic violence, a felony of the fourth degree. Judge Burchfield ordered a presentence investigation and scheduled sentencing for 8:30 a.m. Thursday, April 22.

Jai Martin, 48, of Van Wert, changed his plea to guilty to one count of domestic violence, a felony of the fourth degree. Judge Burchfield ordered a presentence investigation and set sentencing for 8:45 a.m. April 22.

Larry Flory III, 36, of Van Wert, changed his plea to guilty to one count of domestic violence, a misdemeanor of the first degree. A presentence investigation was ordered and Flory is to appear for sentencing at 8:45 a.m. April 22.

Brock Klaus, 21, of Van Wert, changed his plea to guilty to one count of theft, a misdemeanor of the first degree. Judge Burchfield scheduled sentencing for 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 10.

Amy Blatteau, 43, of Van Wert, changed her plea to guilty on an amended charge of operating a motor vehicle while impaired, an unclassified misdemeanor offense. Sentencing will be held at 8 a.m. Thursday, April 15.

James Robert Jewell, 38, of Middle Point, changed his plea to guilty to one count of aggravated possession of drugs, a felony of the fifth degree, and an amended charge of domestic violence, a first-degree misdemeanor. Judge Burchfield ordered a presentence investigation and scheduled sentencing for 8 a.m. April 15.

Drew Kenny, 27, of Van Wert, changed his plea to guilty to one count each of having weapons under disability, a felony of the third degree, and possession of a Fentanyl-related compound, a fifth-degree felony offense. He was then sentenced to 18 months in prison on the weapons charge and 12 months in prison on the drug charge, to be served at the same time, with credit for 174 days already served.

Those arraigned this past week include the following:

Marissa Kreischer, 35, of Van Wert, pleaded not guilty to one count each of complicity, a felony of the second degree, and conspiracy, a third-degree felony offense. No bond was set in the case as the defendant is currently in prison. A pretrial conference will be conducted at 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 9, with a trial date of Monday, April 5.

Jacob Weir, 24, of Lima, entered a not guilty plea to one count of aggravated possession of drugs, a felony of the fifth degree. He was released on an unsecured personal surety bond, with a pretrial conference set for 8:45 a.m. Wednesday, March 24.

Chad Muter, 33, of Middle Point, pleaded not guilty to one count each of aggravated possession of drugs, a felony of the fifth degree, and possession of drugs, a first-degree misdemeanor. He was released on a surety bond and will appear for a pretrial conference at 9:15 a.m. March 24.

Several people also violated the terms of their probation or surety bond.

Brendan Bergman, 25, of Van Wert, admitted to violating his probation on a conviction for aggravated possession of drugs, a felony of the third degree, by being found in possession of a controlled substance, lying to a probation officer, and failing to complete treatment as ordered. He was sentenced to 24 months in prison, with credit for 201 days already served.

Gerald Shreve, 26, of Hicksville, admitted to violating his probation by being convicted of a drunk driving charge while on probation. He was sentenced to five years of community control, starting November 21, 2018, and 10 days in jail.

Ronald Harsh Sr., 50, of Paulding, admitted to violating his probation by having a firearm in his possession. He was resentenced to two years of community control and also sentenced to 33 days in jail, with credit given for 28 days already served.

Makenzie Shepherd, 20, of Van Wert, admitted to violating her surety bond by failing to appear for a court hearing and failing to report to probation. She was rereleased on a surety bond, with the added condition that she report to probation every Tuesday at 9 a.m. A pretrial conference was also scheduled for 8:30 a.m. March 24.

Judy Boyd, 44, of Van Wert, admitted to violating her surety bond and her intervention in lieu of conviction program by testing positive for drugs. Sentencing will be held at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 7.

Joshua Lesko, 32, of Ohio City, admitted to violating his surety bond by contacting the alleged victim in his case, in violation of his no contact order. A new $10,000 cash bond was set in the case. Sentencing was previously scheduled for Monday, March 1.

Ashley McCarthy, 37, of Van Wert, admitted to violating her surety bond by failing to obtain electronically monitored house arrest. A new $5,000 cash bond was set in the case and a telephone pretrial conference scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday, March 25.

Sonny Metzger, 46, of Van Wert, signed a waiver of his constitutional right to a speedy trial in open court and also requested, and was granted, additional time to prepare his case. A pretrial conference was scheduled for 11 a.m. April 7.