13 people arraigned, 22 appear in court

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

A total of 13 people were arraigned Wednesday on grand jury indictments handed down last Friday in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court, with a total of 22 people appearing in court.

Those arraigned include the following:

Christopher Lindeman, 27, of Delphos, entered not guilty pleas to one count of burglary, a felony of the third degree; three counts of receiving stolen property, all felonies of the fifth degree; and four counts of first-degree misdemeanor receiving stolen property. A $1,000 cash bond was set in the case and he will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. Wednesday, July 15.

Drew Kenny, 21, of Van Wert, pleaded not guilty to one count each of trafficking in heroin, a felony of the fifth degree; and trafficking in heroin in the vicinity of a juvenile, a fourth-degree felony offense. He was released on a surety bond and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. Wednesday, June 17.

Leonard Aquaviva, 53, of Van Wert, entered a not guilty plea to two counts of theft, both fourth-degree felonies, and a fifth-degree felony count of theft. He was released on a surety bond and a pretrial conference set for 8 a.m. Wednesday, July 22.

Justin Watkins, 30, of Convoy, pleaded not guilty to a charge of having weapons under disability, a felony of the third degree. He was released on a surety bond and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. June 17.

Brett Fortney, 29, of Van Wert, entered a not guilty plea to a charge of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, a felony of the third degree. He was released on a surety bond, with the additional specification that he have no contact with the alleged victim in the case. A pretrial conference was scheduled for 8 a.m. July 15.

Dawnja Fuentes, 26, of Van Wert, pleaded not guilty to a charge of aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony offense. She was released on a surety bond and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. June 17.

Brittany Pessefall, 18, of Van Wert, entered a not guilty plea to a charge of assault on a police officer, a felony of the fourth degree. She was released on a surety bond and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. June 17.

Haley Ehrsam, 22, of Ohio City, and Kyle Sterrett, 35, of Van Wert, both pleaded not guilty to one count of witness intimidation, a first-degree misdemeanor.  They were released on a surety bond, with the specification they have no contact with the alleged victim, and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. July 15.

Austin Zuver, 18, of Grover Hill, entered a not guilty plea to one count of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, a felony of the fourth degree. He was released on a surety bond, with the mandate that he have no contact with the alleged victim, and will appear for a pretrial hearing at 8 a.m. July 15.

Michael Malone, 29, of Van Wert, pleaded not guilty to a charge of complicity to trafficking in heroin, a fourth-degree felony. He was released on a surety bond and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. June 17.

Joshua Carroll, 27, of Van Wert, entered a not guilty plea to a charge of domestic violence, a felony of the fourth degree. He was released on a surety bond, with the specification that he have no contact with the alleged victim, and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. June 17.

Sara Boroff, 32, of Van Wert, pleaded not guilty to one count of possession of heroin, a felony of the fifth degree. She was released on a personal surety bond, and will appear at a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. June 17.

Judge Martin D. Burchfield also presided over two changes of plea and two sentencings.

Amanda Buzzard, 31, of Van Wert, changed her plea to guilty to a charge of possession of heroin, a fifth-degree felony. A presentence investigation was ordered and sentencing scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday, July 22.

Jerad Caldwell, 28, of Van Wert, entered a guilty plea to a charge of trafficking in heroin, a felony of the fifth degree. A second count of trafficking in counterfeit controlled substances, also a F-5, was dismissed in exchange for his guilty plea to the first trafficking count. A presentence investigation was ordered and sentencing will be set for 9 a.m. July 22.

Jeremy Showalter, 31, of Van Wert, was sentenced on a one count each of attempted operating a vehicle while impaired, a felony of the fifth degree, and driving under a 12-point suspension, a misdemeanor of the first degree.

Showalter was placed on community control for five years and will serve up to six months at the Western Ohio Regional Treatment and Habilitation (WORTH) Center in Lima. His driver’s license was also suspended for three years and he was fined $500 on the suspension charge.

Zachariah Young, 28, of Van Wert, was sentenced on one count of domestic violence, a misdemeanor of the first degree. He was ordered to serve 60 days in jail, with credit for eight days already served.

County Probate-Juvenile Judge Kevin Taylor also heard five cases on Wednesday, including four sentencing hearings.

Lisa Langenkamp, 27, of Van Wert, admitted to violating her probation by testing positive for opiates and a jail furlough violation. She was sentenced to her original 18-month prison sentence, with credit for 37 days already served.

Those sentenced include the following:

Paul Grandsko, 39, of Toledo, was granted a request for treatment in lieu of conviction on a theft charge, a felony of the fifth degree. He will now undergo a counseling program.

Norman Haynie, 36, of Middle Point, sentenced to five years of community control on charges of trafficking in heroin, a felony of the fourth degree; possession of heroin, a fifth-degree felony; and endangering children, a misdemeanor of the first degree. The sentence includes 90 days in jail, with work release possible, and 90 days of electronically monitored house arrest after jail; and a six-month driver’s license suspension. Haynie also forfeited $1,100, money alleged to have been used in the commission of a felony.

Daniel Hunnaman, 38, of Convoy, was given five years of community control on a fifth-degree felony charge of possession of drugs. He was also given a six-month driver’s license suspension.

Chad Kouts, 25, of Van Wert, was given five years of community control on a charge of possession of heroin, a fifth-degree felony offense. He must also participate in the drug court program while on probation.