Two defendants appear in local court

VW independent staff

A pair of criminal hearings were held in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday morning, with Judge Martin Burchfield presiding over both of the hearings.

Devin Contreras, 30, of Van Wert, changed his plea to guilty to possession of a Fentanyl-related compound and aggravated possession of drugs, both fifth degree felonies. He then requested and was granted intervention in lieu of conviction and his case was stayed pending completion of the treatment program. He was also ordered to pay court costs.

In a separate and unrelated case, Daniel Stamm, 40, of Sardinia, Ohio was sentenced to two years of community control and 90 days in jail starting November 24, for non-support of dependants, a fifth degree felony. The jail sentence will be suspended if Stamm becomes employed and maintains employment. He is to possess no alcohol or drugs without a prescription, undergo random screens, mental health and substance abuse assessment and treatment, and was ordered to pay partial appointed counsel fees, monthly probation fees and court costs.