Rape case going to trial in March

By Gary Ogle
gogle@wbcowqel.com

Just weeks before his 20^th birthday, a 19-year-old Bucyrus man will go to trial on charges of first-degree rape.

Represented by Derek Dailey, Kalab Atwell told Common Pleas Court Judge Sean Leuthold on Wednesday that he was not accepting an offer from the county prosecutor’s office and would proceed to trial on March 1^st. The alleged victim is a juvenile.

If convicted, Atwell could be sentenced to as long as 11 years in prison. The judge reminded both Atwell and his attorney that he would grant no further continuances in the case unless Atwell signed a speedy trial waiver.

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In other cases Wednesday morning, 19-year-old Nickolas Hamel of Mansfield pleaded guilty to fifth-degree drug possession. Hamel is not prison eligible according to state sentencing guidelines and will be sentenced following a pre-sentence investigation.

The recommended sentence is five years of community control. Hamel was released on a personal recognizance bond until his sentencing.

Jamie Hall, who was arrested last week when the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at his King Road residence, also had an initial hearing on charges he violated his probation.