4 appear for VW Common Pleas hearings

VW independent/submitted information

Four people appeared for hearings in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday, including a Van Wert man given a prison term for trafficking in heroin.

Jerad Caldwell, 29, was sentenced to nine months in prison on a charge of trafficking in heroin, a fifth-degree felony offense. Judge Martin Burchfield also gave Caldwell credit for 62 days already served, and he was ordered to pay restitution if $80 to the West Central Ohio Crime Task Force.

Two change of plea hearings were held in Common Pleas Court on Wednesday.

Elige Johnson, 55, of Van Wert, changed her plea to guilty to a charge of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence, a misdemeanor of the first degree (reduced from a third-degree felony count). A presentence investigation was ordered and sentencing scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 13.

Joel Crawford, 27, of Van Wert, changed his plea to guilty to one count of possession of heroin, a fifth-degree felony offense. A presentence investigation was ordered and Crawford will appear for sentencing at 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 18.

Nicholas Krick, 28, of Decatur, Indiana, was also in court, to sign a waiver of his constitutional right to a speedy trial. Krick also requested that his trial, originally scheduled for April 4.