Plea changed, sentencing set for Tuesday

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

PAULDING — Less than a week before he was scheduled to go on trial, an area man accused of fatally stabbing another man has changed his plea.

During a hearing held last Thursday in Paulding County Common Pleas Court, Corbin Delgado, 21, of Grover Hill, pleaded guilty to murder, an unclassified felony. In exchange, two other charges, felonious assault, a second degree felony, and assault, a first degree misdemeanor were dismissed, and sentencing was set for Tuesday, April 14. He’s expected to receive a sentence of 15 years to life.

Delgado’s trial was scheduled to begin on Tuesday and last up to four days. He was originally scheduled to stand trial in August of last year but it was delayed indefinitely after he requested to enter a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. He underwent a mental health evaluation and was later found competent to stand trial.

The charges against Delgado are tied to the death of Derek Pontius, 40, of Grover Hill, last spring.

Paulding County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a disturbance in the 16000 block of Road 24, southwest of Grover Hill, shortly before 1 a.m. May 27, 2025. The initial caller reported a male was being argumentative and had a knife. Deputies arrived at the scene within minutes and found Pontius, suffering from stab wounds. Life saving measures were administered by deputies and members of the Grover Hill EMS and Pontius was transported to OhioHealth Van Wert Hospital, but was pronounced dead.

Delgado was identified as the suspect in the attack but he had fled the scene on foot. Within an hour, a deputy located him in the Village of Grover Hill and a trooper with the Ohio State Highway Patrol assisted the deputy in apprehending Delgado. He was booked in the Paulding County Jail in lieu of $1 million bond. Last September, Delgado requested a bond modification but it was denied by Judge Tiffany Beckman. He also requested a new attorney. 

“I Corbin Delgado wish to request new legal council (sp) for ineffectiveness of council (sp),” he said in a handwritten letter to Judge Beckman. “(Court appointed attorney) John Hopkins refuses to effectively represent my case based on both the facts of the case and my wishes as his client. He continues to cause undue delay and is misrepresenting before the court.”

He later withdrew his request for new legal counsel. However, paperwork filed with the court last November indicated Hopkins withdrew as Delgado’s lawyer, and attorney Zachary Maisch was appointed as his new lawyer.