Three receive prison sentences, a fourth could also

By Gary Ogle and Krystal Smalley
gogle@wbcowqel.com; ksmalley@wbcowqel.com

Three people were sentenced to prison Tuesday in Crawford County Common Pleas Court by Judge Sean Leuthold. A fourth person finds herself in jeopardy of the same consequence.

Desiree Pierce pleaded guilty to three counts of receiving stolen property. As a first-time felony offender, Pierce was not prison eligible. The recommended sentence from Assistant Prosecutor Ryan Hoovler was five years on community control, completion of an approved alcohol and drug treatment program, and restitution in the amount of $1,100.

However, following some give-and-take between Pierce and the judge, Leuthold asked the defendant if she was “giving him some attitude.” Pierce assured the judge she was not, but as Leuthold was in the process of deciding whether to place her into custody or continue her personal recognizance bond during the course of a pre-sentence investigation, Leuthold asked Pierce if she would pass a drug test if given one at that time.

Pierce admitted to the judge she would not. Leuthold ordered her taken into custody and set bond at $50,000. He also went on record as stating the defendant’s admission to drug use was a violation of her bond and another felony which would make her prison eligible under state guidelines.

Eighteen-year-old Keldon Rinehart of Crestline pleaded guilty to a fourth-degree felony receiving stolen property charge. He was sentenced to nine months in prison and will receive credit for time served in the county jail. Rinehart must pay restitution in the case in an amount that will be determined at a later date.

The other two individuals given prison sentences were both on community control as a result of early judicial release.

Thirty-seven-year-old Steven Crum admitted to violating community control based on his guilty plea to burglary charges in Summit County. Leuthold imposed the balance of Crum’s 36-month prison sentence on a 2011 burglary conviction in Crawford County. Crum is scheduled to be sentenced on the Summit County conviction on Monday and was returned there.

Darren Conley admitted to violating community control in two cases, both stemming from 2009 convictions for burglary and having weapons under disability. Leuthold re-imposed the balance of Conley’s four-year sentence on the burglary conviction and tolled his community control on the weapons conviction until he is released from prison again.

Twenty-one-year-old Brittany Rose’s chance to avoid a felony on her record went by the wayside Tuesday when she admitted to violating the terms of her diversion program.

Rose had been placed on the court’s two-year diversion program in February on a charge of receiving stolen property. Her guilty plea, which was being held until she successfully completed the program, was enforced Tuesday.

“I made a mistake. I’m dealing with the consequences of it,” Rose told Leuthold.

The judge, however, saw her recent actions in another light. “Those are fine words; what I have found in this line of work is those fine words don’t mean a lot,” Leuthold said. He added that one’s action’s mean more than words. “If you failed, you didn’t try as hard as you should.”

Rose, who was not prison eligible, was ordered to serve five years on community control and must complete a drug and alcohol program. She must also pay $457.37 in restitution to the victim in the case.

Forty-one-year-old James Lewis of Bucyrus pleaded guilty to fifth-degree felony drug possession. The recommended sentence is five years of community control, completion of a drug and alcohol treatment program and six months driver’s license suspension in addition to the $1,250 drug fine. Leuthold went along with that recommendation from the prosecutor.

Tonya Roberson pleaded guilty to one count of fifth-degree felony forgery. The recommended sentence in her case was five years of community control, completion of an alcohol and drug treatment program and restitution in the amount of $1,172.48.

Leuthold ordered a pre-sentence investigation and continued Roberson’s personal recognizance bond.