Teen arsonist gets 15-year prison term

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

A teenager convicted of arson was sentenced to more than 15 years in prison during a hearing held Wednesday in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court.

Noah Girod, 18, of Van Wert, was sentenced by Judge Martin Burchfield to seven years in prison on each of two counts of aggravated arson, both felonies of the second degree, and 16 months on a count of arson, a fourth-degree felony. All three sentences are to run consecutively (one after the other). The judge also explained the arson offender registration requirements to Girod.

Others sentenced on Wednesday include the following:

Brandon Salyer, 28, of Delphos, was sentenced to 30 months in prison on a charge of attempted corrupting another with drugs, a felony of the third degree. Judge Burchfield also gave Salyer credit for 87 days already served.

Elizabeth Tabar, 37, of Paulding, was given 120 days in jail, with credit for 90 days served, on a charge of identity fraud, a felony of the fifth degree.

Elijah Staude, 18, of Van Wert, was placed on two years of community control on a charge of attempted aggravated possession of drugs, a misdemeanor of the first degree, and must also undergo a substance abuse assessment and any treatment recommended.

Two people also changed their plea to guilty to drug-related charges on Wednesday.

Ryan King, 30, of Van Wert, changed his plea to guilty to one count of possession of heroin, a felony of the fifth degree. Judge Burchfield ordered a presentence investigation and set sentencing for 9 a.m. Wednesday, January 25, 2017.

Barbara Baker, 54, of Van Wert, changed her plea to guilty to a charge of aggravated possession of drugs, also a fifth-degree felony. Baker then requested, and was granted, treatment in lieu of conviction, and her case was stayed pending her successful completion of a substance abuse treatment program.