By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
Judge Sean Leuthold handed down two lengthy prison sentences Monday afternoon in cases that involved not only new felonies, but also old ones.
In Crawford County Common Pleas Court, 25-year-old Josh Rowlinson, of Bucyrus, pleaded guilty to a new charge of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony, and received a 12-month prison sentence. That will be served consecutively to prison time re-imposed in a 2011 burglary case for a total of five years in prison after Rowlinson admitted to violating his community control. The allegation involved providing a false urine sample in order to pass a drug test.
Rowlinson will also serve a mandatory three-years on post-release control upon his release.
“All in all, you’re walking out of here with a fairly reasonable prison sentence,” Leuthold told Rowlinson.
The judge added that if Rowlinson had appeared in front of him rather than then-Judge Russell Wiseman, he would have sentenced the Bucyrus man to 10 years in prison for the felony two burglary instead of merely four.
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Thirty-eight-year-old Shanna Boggs, of Crestline, received a 30-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony, and admitting to violating her community control. Boggs admitted to altering her urine, testing positive for oxycodone and THC, possessing drug paraphernalia, possessing medication without a prescription, and failing to comply with an order of her parole officer.
Boggs received 30 months for the new felony, which will be served concurrently to the remainder of her prison sentence in a 2013 drug possession case.
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Monday also marked the return of one of the men Leuthold dubbed “three idiots with a pellet gun.”
As 20-year-old Tristan Lucas took his seat for his probation violation hearing, Leuthold glanced at the case folder in front of him then at Lucas before asking, “Wasn’t Mr. Lucas one of the famous three idiots with a pellet gun?”
Leuthold coined the phrase when he sentenced Lucas to community control in 2015 for second-degree felony robbery. The atypical sentencing for such a serious felony came about due to an argument over the level of involvement in robbing Crestline’s Freezer Fresh. It was determined, however, that Lucas stood nearby knowing what would happen while another man brandished a gun and a third accomplice served as the “inside guy.”
Lucas appeared in court on allegations that he admitted to using cocaine and tested positive for cocaine on a urine analysis screen. He also had two outstanding warrants from the Crestline Mayor’s Office, one for an attempt of falsification and another for income tax issues. Leuthold entered a denial to the allegations, appointed Andrew Motter as Lucas’ attorney, and set bond at $150,000.
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John Meacham appeared in court less than a week after being sentenced to community control on two counts of fourth-degree felony drug trafficking. The 30-year-old man allegedly failed to report to his supervising officer as instructed for his first meeting while on community control. Leuthold entered a denial to the allegation, appointed Thomas Nicholson as the defense attorney, and set bond at $50,000.
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