Jury convicts Van Wert man of abuse

VW independent staff

A four day jury trial led to a guilty verdict against a Van Wert man accused of child endangerment.

The trial of Guy D’Andrea, 31, was held last week in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court and the jury found him guilty of one count of child endangerment, a second degree felony. He was found not guilty of a second identical charge. Judge Martin D. Burchfield ordered a pre-sentence investigation and scheduled sentencing for 10:30 a.m. November 21. He faces up to eight years in prison and a $15,000 fine.

Documents filed with the Van Wert County Clerk of Courts Office show D’Andrea was indicted by a Van Wert County grand jury last November, after being accused of abusing a child, 11, causing serious physical harm. He was originally scheduled to stand trial in late July but it was delayed because the detective assigned to the case was scheduled to be in training and was unavailable. After various motions were filed by both sides, the trial was rescheduled for last week.

Two other hearings were held in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court.

Nicholas Fitzsimmons, 24, of Van Wert, entered a not guilty plea to failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer, a fourth degree felony; OVI, a first degree misdemeanor, and driving under financial responsibility law suspension or cancellation, a fourth degree misdemeanor. He was released on a surety bond with electronic house arrest and no driving privileges. A pre-trial conference was set for 9 a.m. November 19.

Upon a motion to modify bond, Judge Burchfield approved David Lowe, 54, of Sturgis, Michigan, being released on a property bond. He is to have no contact with the victims and a pre-trial conference is scheduled for 9 a.m. December 12.