Crane vandalization defendant arraigned

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

The final defendant in a vandalism incident that caused more than half a million dollars worth of damage to equipment at a wind turbine construction site was one of 15 people to be arraigned during a busy session in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court.

Cody Edwards, 21, of Forth Worth, Texas, pleaded not guilty to one count each of arson and vandalism, both fourth-degree felonies; a third-degree felony vandalism count and one count of breaking and entering, a felony of the fifth degree.

Edwards and two other people, Dustin Gamble and Kyle Beech, were reportedly involved in damaging a crane and lighting equipment at a site where wind turbines were being installed. Damage to the crane alone was estimated at $500,000.

Assistant County Prosecutor Martin Burchfield sought a considerable cash bond since Edwards has no immediate ties to the area and gave a false name when he was apprehended in Texas.

A $20,000 cash bond, as well as a $5,000 unsecured personal surety bond, was ordered by Judge Charles D. Steele in the case. Edwards will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. Wednesday, January 25.

A man convicted of transporting drugs from Dayton to Van Wert was the beneficiary of a new, more stringent sentencing law making it harder to sentence offenders with no prior criminal history to prison.

Judge Steele emphatically told Delaquan Dion McCleskey, 21, of Dayton, that it was his intention to give him and others transporting heroin and other drugs to Van Wert County prison terms, but added that recent sentencing changes dictated by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections prohibits him from doing so because he does not have a prior criminal history.

In addition to heroin, McCleskey was also bringing cocaine and bath salts into the community. Van Wert police have said previously that most of the heroin coming into the area is brought in from Dayton.

Although Judge Steele deferred 12-month sentences on counts of trafficking in heroin, possession of heroin, and possession of cocaine, the judge did send McCleskey to the Western Ohio Regional Treatment and Habilitation (WORTH) Center in Lima for up to six months as part of his three-year community control sentence.

A total of $704.91 in cash found on McCleskey when he was arrested was ordered forfeited to the appropriate law enforcement agency, since the money was used to facilitate the commission of drug offenses.

Two Willshire area residents, Brandi Myers, 29, of Willshire, and Glenn Duval, 37, were also given three-year community control sentences on charges of illegal cultivation of marijuana, a fourth-degree felony offense. Both Myers and Duval, as well as a third person, were arrested by the Van Wert County Sheriff’s Department for growing marijuana on an 87-acre site in the southern portion of the county.

Both were also ordered to spend 90 days on electronically monitored house arrest and had their driver’s licenses suspended for six months.

A Lima woman, Tanisha J. Agler, 21, entered a guilty plea to a charge of breaking and entering related to an August 2011 break-in of a Venedocia business. A presentence investigation was ordered and sentencing scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday, February 15.

In addition to Edwards, others arraigned on Tuesday include:

• John McGinnis, 30, of Van Wert, pleaded not guilty to a two-count indictment charging him with trafficking in heroin, with one count a fourth-degree felony and the other a fifth-degree felony offense. McGinnis was arrested as part of an undercover drug operation conducted by the Van Wert Police Department. He was released on a personal surety bond and a pretrial conference set for 8 a.m. Wednesday, February 1.
• Forrest E. Houseworth, 28, of Van Wert, entered a not guilty plea to a charge of carrying a concealed weapon, a fourth-degree felony. He was released on a personal surety bond and a pretrial conference scheduled for 8 a.m. February 1.
• Scott Jordan, 48, of Fort Wayne, Ind., pleaded not guilty to a charge of receiving stolen property, a fourth-degree felony. He was ordered held on a $5,000 cash bond, as well as a personal surety bond, and a pretrial conference was scheduled for 8 a.m. Wednesday, January 25.
• Dale W. Wright, 19, of Van Wert, entered a plea of not guilty to a charge of grand theft, a fifth-degree felony offense. He was released on a personal surety bond, with a pretrial conference set for 8 a.m. February 1.
• Rachel A. Clark, 26, of Van Wert, pleaded not guilty to a charge of identity fraud, a fourth-degree felony. She was released on a personal surety bond and a pretrial conference scheduled for 8 a.m. February 1.
• Gary W. Stephens, 54, of Convoy, entered a not guilty plea to a charge of receiving stolen property, a fourth-degree felony. He was released on a personal surety bond and a pretrial conference was set for 8 a.m. February 1.
• Christopher S. Lindeman, 23, of Delphos, pleaded not guilty to a charge of theft, a fifth-degree felony. He was released on a personal surety bond and a pretrial conference scheduled for 8 a.m. February 1.
• Anthony Whitt, 27, of Kenton, entered a not guilty plea to three counts of forgery, all felonies of the fifth degree. Whitt and another person were allegedly involved in passing counterfeit $100 bills in Van Wert and other area counties. He was released on a personal surety bond, but is currently being held in Auglaize County on similar charges. A pretrial conference was set for 8 a.m. January 25.
• Taylor Saum, 22, of Delphos, pleaded not guilty to a charge of theft from an elderly person, a fifth-degree felony offense. Sheriff’s deputies said Saum and another person stole scrap metal from a 70-year-old county man. He was released on a personal surety bond and a pretrial conference scheduled for 8 a.m. Wednesday, February 8.
• Shannon S. Hartman, 39, of Van Wert, entered a not guilty plea to two counts of trafficking in heroin. She was released on a personal surety bond and a pretrial conference scheduled for 8 a.m. February 1.
• Christina M. McClure, 22, of Van Wert, pleaded not guilty to a charge of theft from an elderly person, a fifth-degree felony. She was released on a personal surety bond and a pretrial conference set for 8 a.m. February 8.
• Michael A. Speakman of Van Wert entered a not guilty plea to a charge of theft, a fifth-degree felony. He was released on a personal surety bond and a pretrial conference was scheduled for 8 a.m. February 8.
• Haley Jones, 18, of Buckland, pleaded not guilty to a charge of breaking and entering, a fifth-degree felony. She was released on a personal surety bond and a pretrial conference set for 8 a.m. January 25.