By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
Though he was not prison eligible, Michael Spencer will be spending the next six months in prison.
The 48-year-old Bucyrus man pleaded guilty to drug possession, a fifth-degree felony, in Crawford County Common Pleas Court Tuesday afternoon. Spencer did not qualify for prison, but he felt that was the better option for him.
“I don’t want to do probation. I’m too old for that,” Spencer told Judge Sean Leuthold. “I really don’t want to go to prison, but probation won’t work for me.”
“I respect his choice,” Leuthold stated.
Leuthold sentenced Spencer to six months in prison, the minimum prison sentence allowed for that class of felony, suspended his driver’s license for six months, and fined him $1,250. The judge warned Spencer, however, that he would find it hard to justify a minimum prison sentence again if he committed another felony.
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Regina Moore will be getting one more chance to pay off $3,101 in restitution.
The 44-year-old Mansfield woman had been placed on diversion in 2013 and ordered to pay restitution. Moore failed to make payments, however, and had her diversion revoked.
“Ms. Moore, you’ve got to straighten up and make some better decisions. You’re skating on the edge of prison right now,” Leuthold said.
Leuthold placed Moore on community control for five years and ordered her to pay the balance of her restitution. He noted that he would consider letting her off the program once she had the amount paid in full.
“You’ve seen my nice side. You don’t want to see my other side,” Leuthold told her before ending Moore’s hearing. “You had a great opportunity to avoid this and you messed that up. This is your last time.”
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Eighteen-year-old Dennis Heefner, of Crestline, pleaded guilty to inducing panic, a fifth-degree felony. Heefner caused serious public alarm by threating harm when he posted “bout [sic] to shoot up Galion schools” on Facebook on March 3.
Leuthold ordered a pre-sentence investigation and continued Heefner’s bond. Heefner’s sentence would include five years on community control and restitution of $308.95 to the Galion Police Department. Heefner was not eligible for prison.
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Twenty-five-year-old Josh Rowlinson, of Bucyrus, had Geoffrey Stoll appointed as his new attorney in his two cases.
Rowlinson allegedly violated his community control when he provided a false sample to pass a drug test on March 1. That alleged violation also led to a new charge of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony, being leveled against him.
The prosecution put two different offers on the table for Rowlinson, both of which involved serving the remainder of his four-year prison sentence for burglary. He declined both offers.
Leuthold sent the matter for a full probation violation hearing for next week.
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Thirty-nine-year-old James Rumbarger, of Galion, was arraigned on a felony 5 charge of possession of heroin. Leuthold set bond at $50,000 and appointed Grant Garverick as Rumbarger’s attorney. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 12 months in prison and a $2,500 fine if found guilty.