Defendants appear in local court

VW independent staff

The following hearings took place in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court between Friday, July 19, and Wednesday, July 24. Judge Martin Burchfield presided over each of the hearings.

Arraignments

Krystle Shinnaberry, 37, of Van Wert, entered a not guilty plea to aggravated trafficking in drugs, a second degree felony, and aggravated possession of drugs, a third degree felony. Bond was set at $5,000 cash or commercial surety and a pre-trial conference was scheduled for 9:30 a.m. August 7.

Emily Apple, 38, of Paulding, entered a not guilty plea to aggravated possession of drugs, a third degree felony. She was released on a surety bond and a  pre-trial conference was set for 8 a.m. August 7.

Probation violation

Jeffrey Buckner, 49, of Paulding, admitted to violating his bond by failing to report to probation and for failing a drug test. Sentencing was scheduled for 10 a.m. September 11.

Plea changes

Nicholas Muter, 23, of Bowling Green, changed his plea to guilty to a prosecutor’s bill of information for criminal mischief, a third degree misdemeanor. Judge Burchfield fined him $250 and ordered him to pay partial appointed counsel fees and court costs.

Ashley Paige, 30, of Van Wert, changed her plea to guilty to counterfeiting, a felony of the fourth degree. She was then sentenced to three years of community control, up to six months at the WORTH Center, and 30 days in jail at a later date. She was also ordered to undergo mental health and substance abuse assessment and treatment, 100 hours of community service, and was ordered to pay partial appointed counsel fees, monthly probation fees and court costs.

Time waivers

Shawn Thomas, 39, of Van Wert, signed a time waiver in open court and requested additional time to prepare his case. A pretrial conference was scheduled for 10 a.m. September 11.

Clarissa Jones, 28, of Ada, signed a time waiver in open court and requested additional time to prepare her case. Judge Burchfield scheduled a pre-trial confernece for 10 a.m. September 11.