By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
The numerous opportunities and helping hands offered to one Bucyrus man was not enough to keep him out of trouble – or prison.
Jason Gernert, 33, admitted Monday to violating his community control when he was found unresponsive on Sept. 25 and had to be revived with Narcan. Gernert admitted to using heroin, possessing drug paraphernalia, and failing to comply with the court’s Intensive Supervision and Treatment program.
Crawford County Common Pleas Court Judge Sean Leuthold sentenced Gernert to prison for 12 months, though he noted Gernert could possibly qualify for in-patient treatment at a later date.
“There have been more people in this county who have tried to help you,” Leuthold admonished.
Gernert originally pleaded guilty to drug possession in June and was placed on probation.
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Tiara Keith was sentenced to community control, but she will have to serve 90 days in the county jail at some point.
The 28-year-old Marion woman pleaded guilty to drug possession in September and was awaiting the results of her pre-sentence investigation before being sentenced.
“Sadly, this is something we’re seeing way too often,” Leuthold commented as he reviewed the report on Keith’s history.
When Keith revealed the sentence she received from Marion County, which included a drug treatment program and community control, Leuthold rubbed his face in frustration.
“There has to be some consequences for the action,” Leuthold said. “This is not Marion. This is Crawford County. Your one break? You just got it.”
Leuthold followed the recommended sentence and placed Keith on community control for five years, fined her $1,250, and ordered her to report to the county jail on Feb. 1 for a 90-day sentence.
Compared to what could have been, Robert Poulson got off with a very light sentence. The 64-year-old Galion man pleaded guilty to fourth-degree felony burglary.
Leuthold noted that the prosecution labeled Poulson’s case a textbook burglary, which could have led to a second-degree felony and a maximum sentence of eight years in prison. The facts of the case, however, helped to lighten not only the degree of the felony, but also the severity of the sentence.
“Probably not your standard burglary because it looks like he got himself so drunk he went into the wrong house,” Leuthold said. “Some alcohol and poor judgment got you in a place you shouldn’t be.”
The judge ordered a pre-sentence investigation. Poulson could receive the bare minimum of a sentence in this case – one year on community control – if Leuthold finds his pre-sentence investigation favorable.