10 enter pleas to grand jury indictments

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

It was a busy day in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court as 10 people were arraigned on grand jury indictments and another eight people appeared for a variety of criminal hearings.

A total of 10 people were arraigned Wednesday on grand jury indictments, including the mother of a young child found dead in Delphos on November 15, 2015.

Valarie Dean, 24, of Delphos, entered not guilty pleas to one count each of involuntary manslaughter, a felony of the first degree, and endangering children, a third-degree felony offense. She was release on an unsecured personal surety bond and will appear for a pretrial conference at 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 26.

Others arraigned include the following:

Zachary Craig, 37, of Van Wert, pleaded not guilty to two counts of failure to comply with the order of a law enforcement officer, each a felony of the third degree, and two counts of felonious assault, both first-degree felonies. Craig was ordered held on a $100,000 cash/surety bond, with a pretrial conference set for 9 a.m. April 26.

Craig was charged with assaulting a corrections officer at the Van Wert County Correctional Facility.

Cody McGinnis, 33, of Van Wert, entered not guilty pleas to one count of failure to comply with the order of a law enforcement officer, a felony of the third degree. He was ordered held on a $100,000 cash/surety bond, with a pretrial conference to be held at 8 a.m. April 26.

Robert K. Seibert, 30, of Van Wert, pleaded not guilty to one count of domestic violence, a felony of the fourth degree, and two counts of aggravated possession of drugs, both fifth-degree felony offenses. He was released on a surety bond, with the condition that he have no contact with the alleged victim in the domestic violence case.

Austin Edwards, 33, of Van Wert, entered a not guilty plea to one count of improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, a felony of the fourth degree. He was released on a surety bond and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. April 26.

Matthew Williams, 28, of Delphos, pleaded not guilty to three counts of theft, each a felony of the fifth degree. He was released on a surety bond and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. April 26.

Megan Ann Gillette, 26, of Van Wert, entered a not guilty plea to one count each of telecommunications fraud and identity fraud, each a felony of the fifth degree. She was released on a surety bond and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. April 26.

Three people entered pleas to drug charges filed as a result of a West Central Ohio Crime Task Force investigation.

Timothy Schlatman, 35, of Van Wert, pleaded not guilty to two counts of trafficking in marijuana, both felonies of the fifth degree; one count of trafficking in marijuana, a fourth-degree felony; and two counts of aggravated trafficking in drugs, both felonies of the fourth degree. He was released on a surety bond and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. Wednesday, April 19.

Elmeco Crisp, 41, of Lima, entered not guilty pleas to one count each of trafficking in heroin, a felony of the fifth degree; trafficking in cocaine, a fourth-degree felony; trafficking in heroin, also a fourth-degree felony; and aggravated trafficking in drugs, a felony of the third degree. He was released on a surety bond, with the added condition he must undergo electronically monitored house arrest and a curfew, and will appear for a pretrial conference at 9 a.m. Monday, April 24.

Ian Taylor, 23, of Van Wert, pleaded not guilty to two counts of aggravated trafficking in drugs, both felonies of the fourth degree. He was released on a surety bond and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. April 26.

Two people were also sentenced on Wednesday.

Eric Kangas, 40, of Delphos, was given 12 months in prison on a charge of domestic violence, a felony of the fourth degree, and two years in prison on one count of escape, a second-degree felony. Both sentences are to run concurrently, while Judge Martin Burchfield gave Kangas credit for 248 days served on the domestic violence charge and 241 days served on the escape count.

Nathan Kreischer, 25, of Ohio City, was sentenced to five years of community control, including 90 days of either house arrest or jail, starting April 18. He must also provide 200 hours of community service, undergo substance abuse and sex offender assessments, and any treatment recommended, and is to use no electronic media, including a cell phone and computer, without another adult present. He must also register as a Tier 2 sex offender every 180 days for the next 25 years.

Two people entered changes of plea on Wednesday.

Shaquielle Moore, 25, of Van Wert, changed his plea to guilty to a charge of domestic violence, a third-degree felony offense. A second charge of witness intimidation, also a third-degree felony, was dismissed in exchange for his guilty plea to the domestic violence count. A presentence investigation was ordered and sentencing scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 24.

Shylyn Shepherd, 19, of Van Wert, changed her plea to guilty to a charge of theft, a misdemeanor of the first degree. A second charge of theft, a fifth-degree felony, was dismissed in exchange for her guilty plea. Sentencing was scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 10.

Three people also appeared in court on probation violation charges.

Kevin Davies Jr., 27, of Van Wert, denied violating his probation by refusing treatment at the Western Ohio Regional Treatment and Habilitation (WORTH) Center in Lima. A hearing was scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 9.

Kyle Goodwin, 28, of Van Wert, also denied violating his probation by refusing treatment at the WORTH Center. A hearing was set for 3 p.m. May 9.

Jeremy Grenzebach, 36, of Van Wert, admitted to violating his probation by failing to report to probation, failing to maintain his address, and failure to pay child support. He was sentenced to two years of community control, under the same conditions as his previous sentence, plus 60 days in jail.

Robert S. Jewell, 26, of Van Wert, entered a polygraph stipulation in open court and also waived his constitutional right to a speedy trial to allow time for the polygraph.