9 arraigned on grand jury indictments

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Nine people were arraigned on grand jury indictments on Wednesday and a total of 16 people appeared on a variety of criminal hearings that day in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court.

Those arraigned include the following:

Anthony Sexton, 53, of Van Wert, entered not guilty pleas to one count each of robbery, a felony of the second degree, and abduction, a third-degree felony offense. He was ordered held on a $100,000 cash/commercial surety bond and a pretrial conference scheduled for 8 a.m. Wednesday, March 21.

Kurt Strukamp, 55, of Madison, Indiana, pleaded not guilty to one count each of aggravated possession of drugs, a felony of the second degree, and possession of drug abuse instruments, a misdemeanor of the first degree. He was released on a personal surety bond after signing a waiver of extradition and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. March 21.

Johnny Bowersock, 53, of Van Wert, entered a not guilty plea to one count of domestic violence, a felony of the third degree. He was released on a surety bond, with the stipulation that he have no contact with the alleged victim in the case. A pretrial conference was set for 8 a.m. March 21.

Joshua Bunker, 23, of Van Wert, pleaded not guilty to two counts of retaliation, each a felony of the third degree; and one count each of harassment by bodily substance, a felony of the fifth degree, and assault, a first-degree misdemeanor. A $10,000 cash/commercial surety bond was set in the case, with Bunker ordered to have no contact with alleged victims, and he is to appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. March 21.

Thomas West, 54, of Middle Point, entered a not guilty plea to one count of domestic violence, a felony of the fourth degree. A $25,000 cash/commercial surety bond was set in the case and a pretrial conference set for 8:30 a.m. Friday, March 9.

Joshua Finfrock, 33, of Cecil, pleaded not guilty to one count of trespass in a habitation, felony of the fourth degree, and aggravated menacing, a misdemeanor of the first degree. A $10,000 cash/commercial surety bond was set, with the stipulation he have no contact with the alleged victim in the case, and he was ordered to appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. March 21.

Nathan Braun, 35, of Van Wert, entered not guilty pleas to two counts of importuning, each a felony of the fifth degree, and one count of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, a misdemeanor of the first degree. He was released on a surety bond, with the stipulation that he use not electronic media for communications. Braun was ordered to appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. March 21.

Brandi Runyon, 27, of Van Wert, pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault, each a felony of the fourth degree. She was released on a surety bond, with the stipulation she have no contact with the alleged victims in the case. A pretrial conference was scheduled for 8 a.m. March 21.

Alexander Chorvas, 22, of Van Wert, entered a not guilty plea to one count of domestic violence, a felony of the fourth degree. He was released on a surety bond and must appear for a pretrial conference at 9 a.m. March 21.

Two people were also sentenced on Wednesday.

Frank Bill, 62, of Van Wert, was given 180 days in jail on each of two counts of aggravated possession of drugs, each a felony of the fifth degree. The jail terms are to run concurrently with each other.

Percy Huffman, 36, of Lima, was given five years of community control on a charge of theft, a felony of the fifth degree. He must also undergo substance abuse and mental health assessments and any treatment recommended.

Four people also appeared on probation violation charges.

Samantha  Lacy, 25, of Van Wert, admitted to violating her probation by failing to complete a treatment program at the Western Ohio Regional Treatment and Habilitation (WORTH) Center in Lima. She was sentenced to 180 days in jail, with credit for 102 days already served.

James Ramirez, 27, of Van Wert, admitted to violating his probation; however, since he has already served the maximum time in jail for the charge, he was unsuccessfully terminated from probation. Restitution and court cost orders remain in effect.

Robert Seibert, 31, of Van Wert, denied violating his probation by testing positive for drugs and failing to report to probation. A hearing was set for 8:30 a.m. Monday, March 12.

Nathan Egly, 32, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, admitted to violating his probation by failing to report to probation. The case was continued until 8 a.m. Wednesday, March 14.

Also Wednesday, Nowelle Finger, 26, of Van Wert, waived her constitutional right to a speedy trial during a hearing in open court and requested more time to prepare her case.