BUCYRUS — A Bucyrus woman appeared in Crawford County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday to plead guilty to violating the terms and conditions of her community control.
Natosha Bayless, 36, of Bucyrus was originally placed on the court’s diversion program in 2018 after pleading to four counts of passing bad checks, each a fifth-degree felony and each punishable with up to 12 months in prison.
Bayless was terminated from the program and placed on five years of community control in June 2019. She was ordered to pay restitution of $16,400. Failure to complete community control successfully would result in a sentence of 48 months in prison.
According to probation officer Chris Heydinger, Bayless was stopped by the Ohio State Highway Patrol in December for DUI and committed identity fraud. She later tested positive for drugs, possessed drugs and was intoxicated.
Bayless pleaded guilty to violating the terms and conditions of her community control. As part of a plea agreement, Common Pleas Court Judge Sean Leuthold sentenced Bayless to eight months in prison on each count for a total of 32 months.
Leuthold told Bayless that he would consider judicial release after she serves one year in prison.
“Look, your lawyer did a good job here and you got a break,” Leuthold said. “Get to prison, get to work and do your programs. Give your lawyer a good reason to argue for your judicial release in a year.”
In other court action, Sarah Jones, 37, of Galion pleaded guilty to one count of possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony punishable with up to 12 months in prison.
As part of a plea negotiation, Jones will spend the next five years on community control. Jones told the court she is in treatment now, but Leuthold ordered additional drug and alcohol assessment and follow up treatment as needed.
Rodger Lozier, 51, of Galion pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of drugs, each a fifth-degree felony and each punishable with up to 12 months in prison.
As part of a plea agreement, Lozier was sentenced to five years of community control. He will forfeit all drug-related property to the Galion Police Department.
“You’re three years younger than me. You’re too old to be messing with meth,” Leuthold said.
Lozier told the court that he had been to rehab and did not intend to use meth again. Leuthold ordered Lozier to go through a drug and alcohol assessment and follow-up treatment as required.
Zachary Strickland, 25, currently incarcerated at the London Correctional Institution, pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of drugs, each a fifth-degree felony and each punishable with up to 12 months in prison.
In a plea agreement, Strickland will serve an additional six months on each count for a total of an additional 12 months in prison. He will forfeit all drug-related property to the Galion Police Department, but will receive 14 days of jail time credit.