Court hearings held for eight people

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

Four defendants entered pleas during hearings held in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court this past week.

Roger Bland, 56, of Decatur, Indiana, entered a plea of guilty to a prosecutor’s bill of information charging him with failure to secure a dangerous ordinance, a second degree misdemeanor. He was sentenced to 20 days jail but was given credit for 20 days served. He was also ordered to pay costs.

Tyler Roth, 35, of Van Wert, entered a guilty plea to a bill of information charging him with aggravated assault, a fourth degree felony. Judge Martin Burchfield ordered a pre-sentence investigation and scheduled sentencing for 8 a.m. September 21. He modified Roth’s bond to remove electronic house arrest, but retained a no-contact order.

Christopher Runyon, 46, of Van Wert, changed his plea to guilty to illegal conveyance of controlled substance onto the grounds of a government facility, a felony of the third degree. A pre-sentence investigation was ordered and sentencing was set for 9:30 a.m. September 21. Runyon’s bond was modified to a surety bond with electronic house arrest.

Kramer Burkhead, 26, of Van Wert, changed his plea to guilty to two counts of breaking and entering, both fifth degree felonies. He requested and was granted intervention in lieu of conviction and his case was stayed pending completion of the treatment program.

Four other criminal hearings were held this past week.

Dillon Nihiser, 25, of Van Wert, was sentenced to 180 days in jail for breaking and entering, a fifth degree felony and 180 days for theft, to be served consecutively. He was given 180 days credit for the first count and 75 days on the second count, leaving 105 days to serve. He was also assessed court costs.

Jessica Freitag, 33, of Van Wert, admitted violating her bond by failing a drug test. New bond was set at $10,000 cash or commercial surety. Her case is scheduled for sentencing Wednesday, August 10, on the underlying charge of aggravated possession of drugs.

William L. Dix, 36, of Van Wert, entered a not guilty plea to harassment with a bodily substance, a fifth degree felony, and two counts of assault, both fourth degree felonies. He was released on a surety bond with pre-trial set for 8:30 a.m. August 31.

Kaiden Gilbert, 19, of Van Wert, signed a time waiver in open court and requested additional time to prepare his case. A pre-trial was scheduled for 2:30 p.m. August 24.