By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
Phone calls are what led a Crestline woman to be sentenced to 16 months in prison rather than being placed on community control.
Twenty-six-year-old Tabitha McGlothin was supposed to get five years on community control when she pleaded guilty to a fourth-degree felony for domestic violence, but her actions in the county jail led to a much different sentence Wednesday morning. While McGlothin was held at the Crawford County Justice Center, she placed phone calls using other inmates’ commissary pin numbers.
Her actions were labeled as identity theft by the prosecutor’s office, which intended to indict her on five counts of the fifth-degree felony.
“This is a very interesting case,” commented Judge Sean Leuthold, later alluding to a heated argument that occurred in his chambers over the agreement. “For goodness sake, you’re in jail and you committed a new felony.”
A deal made that morning saw the prosecutor’s office forgoing the new charges in favor of a guilty plea on the original domestic violence felony. That meant the initial community control sentence was exchanged for a 16-month prison sentence and $240.39 in restitution to the victim and the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office.
Leuthold indicated he was willing to look at early release if McGlothin’s attorney filed such a motion.
Thirty-eight-year-old Kevin Hines, of Bucyrus, admitted to violating his community control when he tested positive and admitted to using opiates on Aug. 15. Hines accepted an offer of eight months in prison in exchange for his admittance.
“Probation didn’t work very well for you,” Leuthold said before informing Hines that there would be a number of places he could attend to help with his opiate addiction after he is released from prison.
Hines pleaded guilty to felony drug possession and a misdemeanor for resisting arrest in May.
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There may have been a good reason for Jeremy Wells’ sullen attitude during his community control hearing: he was being sentenced to six months in prison on his 31st birthday.
Leuthold, who noted Wells’ demeanor on record, chalked it up to being distraught over his circumstances. Wells admitted to failing to report to office visits and changing his address without permission while on community control, incidents that occurred months before Wells was arrested in July.
“I just can’t let that slide,” Leuthold said as he ordered Wells to serve the minimum sentence for the violation.
Wells originally pleaded guilty to possession of heroin in 2013 and was placed on community control for three years.
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