Delphos man pleads to attempted murder

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

A Delphos man charged with attempted murder, felonious assault, and arson was one of nine people arraigned on grand jury indictments Wednesday in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court.

David Youngpeter, 38, of Delphos, entered not guilty pleas to one count each of attempted murder, a felony of the first degree; felonious assault, a second-degree felony; aggravated arson, a felony of the first degree; and a second-degree felony count of aggravated arson.

Judge Martin D. Burchfield set a $250,000 cash/surety bond in the case and also ordered Youngpeter to have no contact with the alleged victim in the case. A pretrial conference was scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday, October 23.

Others arraigned include the following:

Candelario “Jimmie” Benavidez Jr., 66, of Van Wert, pleaded not guilty to two counts each of pandering obscenity involving a minor, pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor, and illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material or performance. Each of the counts is a felony of the fourth degree. An unsecured personal surety bond was set in the case, with Benavidez to have no contact with the alleged victim in the case. A pretrial conference will be held at 9 a.m. Wednesday, October 30.

Charles Jenkins, 42, of Van Wert, entered not guilty pleas to one count each of having weapons under disability, aggravated trafficking in drugs, and aggravated possession of drugs, each a felony of the third degree, and one count each of permitting drug abuse and possession of heroin, each a felony of the fifth degree. He was ordered released on a surety bond and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. October 23.

Idris Nuriddeen, 44, of Van Wert, pleaded not guilty to one count each of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony, and possession of a Fentanyl-related compound and possession of heroin, each a felony of the fifth degree. A surety bond was set in the case because Nuriddeen is currently in prison on other charges. He will appear for a pretrial conference on the new charges at 8 a.m. October 23.

Tate Arnold, 37, of Van Wert, entered a not guilty plea to one count of aggravated possession of drugs, a felony of the fifth degree. He was released on a surety bond and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. October 30.

Alexandria Fletter, 21, of Van Wert, pleaded not guilty to one count each of aggravated possession of drugs, a felony of the fifth degree, and possession of drug abuse instruments, a second-degree misdemeanor. She was released on a surety bond and will appear for a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. October 30.

Kendra Keesler, 24, of Van Wert, entered not guilty pleas to one count each of aggravated possession of drugs and possession of heroin, 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. Thursday, October 31.

Korbin Taylor, 21, of Van Wert, pleaded not guilty to one count of felonious assault, a felony of the second degree. He was released on a surety bond, but ordered to have not contact with the alleged victim in the case. A pretrial conference was scheduled for 8 a.m. October 30.

Kurt Wagner, 19, of Continental, entered a not guilty plea to one count of aggravated possession of drugs, a felony of the fifth degree. A surety bond was set in the case and Wagner will appear for a pretrial conference at 9:30 a.m. Friday, November 8.

Two people were also sentenced on Wednesday.

Erik Buzard, 23, of Van Wert, was sentenced to three years of community control, including 10 days in jail, beginning October 17, and 200 hours of community service. Buzard was also ordered to not use controlled or prescription drugs or alcohol without a prescription, and must undergo random drug screens, substance abuse and mental health assessments and any treatment recommended. He must also pay $311 in restitution to landlord Todd Wolfrum and $500 to Chelsea Gephart.

Andrew Taylor, 33, of Van Wert, was sentenced to 30 days in jail, with work release, on a charge of obstructing official business, a felony of the fifth degree. 

Eight people were also in court for a variety of violation hearings, including bond violations.

Dillon Nihiser, 23, of Van Wert, admitted to violating his intervention in lieu of conviction program by failing a drug test and failing to report for a drug test. Sentencing was set for 9 a.m. Wednesday, November 27.

Brittany Pessefall, 22, of Van Wert, admitted to violating her probation by failing to report to probation and failing to attend sessions at Westwood Behavioral Health Center. She was sentenced to 67 days in jail, with credit for 37 days already served.

Bobby Lee Panning, 22, of Cloverdale, admitted to violating his probation by failing to report for drug screens, admitted drug use, and failure to report to probation. He was sentenced to 160 days in jail, with credit for 128 days already served.

Robert Thompson, 35, of Van Wert, appeared for a work release violation, with Judge Burchfield denying a request to reinstate work release.

Nicole Cooper, 36, of Van Wert, admitted to violating her probation by failing to report to probation, failing to report for drug screens, and having a positive drug screen. She was sentenced to 180 days in jail on the first count and 114 days on the second count, with the sentences to run consecutively to each other, for a total of 294 days. She was given credit for 204 days already served.

Jeremy Nielsen, 40, of Ohio City, admitted to violating his surety bond by failing to report to probation and by failing to report for a court hearing. A $5,000 cash/surety bond was set in the case and he appeared for a pretrial conference on Wednesday.

Johnathan Wells, 39, of Sidney, admitted to violating his bond by failing to report to probation and failing to report for a court hearing. He was re-released on a surety bond.