15 people appear for criminal hearings

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Four people were arraigned and 15 people appeared this week on a variety of criminal hearings in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court.

Those arraigned on Wednesday included Kasey Schisler, 29, of Van Wert, who entered a not guilty plea to a charge of theft from the elderly, a felony of the fifth degree, on Wednesday. He was released on a personal surety bond and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. Wednesday, March 7.

Robert Thompson, 34, of Van Wert, pleaded not guilty to two counts of aggravated possession of drugs, a felony of the fifth degree. He was also released on a surety bond and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. Wednesday, February 28.

Two people were also arraigned late last week in Common Pleas Court.

Greg Glander, 35, of Van Wert, entered a plea of not guilty last Thursday to a charge of aggravated possession of drugs, a felony of the fifth degree. He was released on a surety bond and will appear for a pretrial hearing at 8 a.m. Wednesday, February 21.

Spencer Davis, 26, of Van Wert, pleaded not guilty to one count of theft of drugs, a felony of the fourth degree, and two counts of grand theft of a firearm, both felonies of the third degree, during his arraignment last Friday.

He was released on a surety bond and will appear for  pretrial conference at 8 a.m. March 7.

One person also appeared for resentencing on Wednesday.

Tawnie Johnson, 28, of Van Wert, had to be resentence since she was found ineligible for a stay in the Western Ohio Regional Treatment and Habilitation (WORTH) Center in Lima, due to charges pending in Allen County.

Johnson was resentenced to three years of community control under the same conditions as before, with the addition of a 120-day jail sentence that started Wednesday. She was given 53 days credit by Judge Martin D. Burchfield for time already served.

Chelsea Bok, 27, of Van Wert, changed her plea to guilty to a charge of illegal possession of chemicals for the manufacture of drugs, a felony of the third degree (reduced from a second-degree felony, in exchange for her guilty plea). Judge Burchfield ordered a presentence investigation and scheduled sentencing for 9 a.m. Wednesday, March 28.

Four people appeared Wednesday on probation or bond violations.

Carl Elston, 38, of Van Wert, admitted to violating his probation by failing to report to probation. He was sentenced to 148 days in jail, with credit for 58 days already served.

William Estle, 31, of Delphos, admitted to violating his probation by failing to report to probation. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail.

Jared Smith, 29, of Van Wert, admitted to violating his probation by failing to provide an address to probation and by using a banned substance. He was sentenced to 90 days of electronically monitored house arrest beginning February 19 and will remain in jail until that time.

Eric Bowers, 31, of Van Wert, admitted to violating his personal surety bond by failing a drug test. He was released on electronically monitored house arrest, with drug testing ordered.

Two people also signed waivers of their constitutional right to a speedy trial in open court on Wednesday.

Kevin Linton, 30, and Norman Foertch Jr., 49, both of Convoy, signed waivers and each then requested additional time to prepare their cases.

Retired Champaign County Common Pleas Judge Roger Wilson also presided over two hearings on Tuesday.

Matthew Brown, 56, of Van Wert, had filed a motion to lift restrictions preventing him from obtaining a driver’s license. Following a hearing, Judge Wilson granted the request.

Taylor Vannett, 19, of Van Wert, admitted to violating his probation by failing a drug test and failing to appear for other drug tests. Judge Wilson resentenced him to five years of community control, with an additional 11 days in jail. Vannett must also maintain his residence at 515 S. Wayne St. in Van Wert, have no contact with co-defendants, and remain on house arrest, not leaving the residence unless with his parents or traveling directly to or from job interviews or jobs. He must also make restitution payments, starting six weeks after his release from jail.

Levi Strawser, 27, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, also appeared Friday, February 9, and admitted to violating his treatment in lieu of conviction program by failing to pay court costs. He was given 180 days of jail time on each of two original charges (theft and forgery, both felonies of the fifth degree), which he will serve concurrently, and also concurrent with an Indiana prison sentence he is currently serving.