The Van Wert County Courthouse

Thursday, Mar. 28, 2024

11 arraigned in VW Common Pleas Court

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Van Wert County Common Pleas Court was a busy place on Wednesday, with 11 people arraigned and a total of 21 people appearing for a variety of criminal hearings before three judges.

Court artwork 12-2013 copyThose arraigned include the following:

Tyler Roth, 29, of Van Wert, entered not guilty pleas to one count each of kidnapping and rape, both felonies of the first degree; as well as abduction and sexual battery, both third-degree felonies; and gross sexual imposition, a felony of the fourth degree.

Judge Martin Burchfield set a $500,000 cash bond in the case, with the added stipulations that Roth must be placed on electronically monitored house arrest if he makes bond and have no contact with the alleged victim in the case.

A pretrial conference was scheduled for 8 a.m. Wednesday, May 18.

Jose Sanchez, 37, of Van Wert, pleaded not guilty to one count of domestic violence, a felony of the third degree because of Sanchez already has previous domestic violence convictions. He was released on a personal surety bond, with an order to have no contact with the alleged victim in the case. A pretrial conference was set for 8 a.m. Wednesday, May 25.

Josh Williams, 21, of Van Wert, entered a not guilty plea to one count of possession of hashish, a third-degree felony offense. Judge Burchfield set a $5,000 cash bond in the case, with electronically monitored house arrest if he makes bond. He will appear for a pretrial conference at 10 a.m. May 25.

Ryan Miller, 26, of Middle Point, pleaded not guilty to one count of theft and forgery, each a felony of the fifth degree. He was released on a surety bond and will appear for a pretrial conference at 10 a.m. Friday, May 20.

Harold Callahan Jr., 45, of Van Wert, entered a not guilty plea to one count of trespass in a habitation, a felony of the fourth degree. He was released on a surety bond, with the stipulation he have no contact with the alleged victim. A pretrial conference was scheduled for 10:30 a.m. May 20.

William Estle, 29, of Delphos, pleaded not guilty to one count each of theft from a person in a protected class and forgery, each a felony of the fourth degree. He was released on a surety bond and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. May 25.

Vanessa Stevens, 47, of Van Wert, entered not guilty pleas to two count of theft, each a felony of the fifth degree, and one count of tampering with records, a third-degree felony. She was released on a surety bond and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. Wednesday, June 1.

Breanna Blair, 19, of Van Wert, pleaded not guilty to one count of abusing harmful intoxicants, a felony of the fifth degree. She was released on a surety bond and a pretrial conference set for 10 a.m. May 25.

Janet St. John, 33, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, entered not guilty pleas to one count each of possession of heroin, a felony of the fifth degree; and operating a vehicle while impaired, and endangering children, each a misdemeanor of the first degree. She was released on a surety bond and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. June 1.

Cyle Black, 30, of Van Wert, pleaded not guilty to one count of possession of heroin, a felony of the fifth degree. He was released on a surety bond and a pretrial conference was set for 8 a.m. June 1.

Jeremy Workman, 35, of Van Wert, entered a not guilty plea to one count of possession of heroin and possession of fentanyl, both fifth-degree felonies. He was released on a surety bond and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. June 1.

Three people also appeared in court to change their pleas.

Danny Ruiz, 41, of Van Wert, changed his plea to guilty to one count of domestic violence, a first-degree misdemeanor (reduced from a third-degree felony). Sentencing will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 8.

Danielle Roberts, 33, of Van Wert, changed her plea to guilty to a charge of attempted trafficking in drugs, a felony of the fifth degree (downgraded from trafficking in drugs, a fourth-degree felony). She then requested, and was granted, treatment in lieu of conviction and her case was stayed pending successful completion of a substance abuse treatment program.

Marissa Kreischer, 30, of Van Wert, changed her plea to guilty to one count of possession of heroin, a felony of the fifth degree. A second count of possession of fentanyl was dropped in exchange for her guilty plea. She then requested, and was granted, treatment in lieu of conviction and had her case stayed pending successful completion of a substance abuse treatment program.

Judge Burchfield also presided over three sentencing hearings.

Frederick Blessing, 21, of Van Wert, was sentenced to up to six months at the River City Community Based Correction Facility on a charge of importuning, a felony of the fifth degree. He must also spend an additional 60 days in jail and was classified as a Tier 1 sex offender, who must register once a year for 15 years.

Kitti Johnson, 28, of Convoy, was given three years of community control on a charge of theft, a felony of the fifth degree.

Sean Ramos, 22, of Van Wert, was given two years of community control on a charge of domestic violence, a misdemeanor of the first degree.

Judge Burchfield also heard a bond violation charge/treatment in lieu of conviction against Zach Schaeffer, 19, of Delphos. Schaeffer admitted to violating his bond by drinking alcohol. Judge Burchfield ordered him to continue in his treatment program and to have a meeting at Westwood Behavioral Health Center in Van Wert by May 17. A pretrial conference was scheduled for 8 a.m. June 1.

Probate-Juvenile Court Judge Kevin Taylor presided over a probation violation hearing for Tristan Moore, 30, of Payne. Moore admitted to violating his probation by means of a conviction for possession of marijuana and lying to probation officers. He was resentenced to three years of community control under the same conditions, plus up to six months at the Western Ohio Regional Treatment and Habilitation (WORTH) Center in Lima. He was ordered to report to the Van Wert County Correctional Facility by 10 a.m. Friday, May 13.

Retired Greene County Common Pleas Judge Timothy Campbell also heard hearings on several motions.

Clarence Durden, 42, and Joy Durden, 38, both of Van Wert, each requested more time to prepare their defenses and signed documents waiving their constitutional rights to a speedy trial. The cases were continued for final pretrial conferences at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, June 30.

Dale Wright, 24, of Van Wert, appeared for a hearing on several motions. Judge Campbell overruled a motion to dismiss a case against Wright based on speedy trial violations and examined a motion by prosecutors to have defendant’s competency to stand trial evaluated, which was granted by the judge.

POSTED: 05/12/16 at 7:22 am. FILED UNDER: News