By Lindsey Rowland
news@wbcowqel.com
Judge Sean Leuthold, while presiding over the Crawford County Court of Common Pleas on Monday, boldly stated that “the days of nonsense and criminal activity in this county are over.” Leuthold stuck to his word as each case that came before him was dispatched swiftly.
Amber Griefenstine, 31, was charged with theft, a fifth-degree felony. As it was her first felony offense she was ineligible for prison even though Griefentstine has a serious misdemeanor record. Griefenstine was sentenced to community control for five years without a fine, but she must pay restitution to the victim.
After a succinct apology, the judge reminded her that both community control and restitution are taken very seriously.
To 28-year-old Justin Carroll, Leuthold granted a motion for intervention in lieu of conviction for the second time since he took the bench.
Carroll was charged with possession of cocaine and although, again, Leuthold didn’t feel like he was able to carry out his ideal solution, all of the Carroll’s drug tests have come back clean and was then granted some leniency in the form of the two-year program. A post-sentencing investigation was ordered.
Leuthold was extremely intent as he told Carroll, “Don’t mess this up. I will be very, very displeased if that happens.”
David Easterday, 28, then entered the courtroom and pled guilty to having a weapon under disability.
When Easterday spoke up, he said, “I apologize to the community, and I have had time to think about it.”
To which Leuthold replied, “Oh, we’ll give you time.”
Commenting on how it was being done for the safety of the community at large, the judge sentenced Easterday to 24 months in prison and three years of post-release control.
The next case stood out, as Jason Taylor came to appeal to Leuthold to lift a disability, not allowing him to own any guns, that was placed on him 14 years ago after he robbed his grandparents for firearms.
Since being convicted, Taylor has done his best to turn things around. He served his sentence and, upon release, made amends with his grandparents, has kept a job, and raised a family. Taylor made the request in the hopes he will be able to teach his family how to hunt, a tradition that has been in his family for years.
Defense attorney Adam Stone pointed out that we must protect the right to bear arms as much as any other right, and claimed that Taylor is a model of what is hoped for people who exit the prison system.
Leuthold didn’t made a decision on Monday, but spoke clearly about how, despite the fact that it looks like Taylor has really turned his life around, the past is the only thing to hold against a person and, in this case, he showed poor judgement, which results in some hesitation.
In the end, Leuthold made no promises, but said that the answer would either be no, or a restricted lifting of the disability, perhaps with only guns used for hunter permitted. Stone and Taylor will collaborate to write up a guideline for such an agreement, to be reviewed by Leuthold at a later date.
Fifty-seven-year-old Gary Rogers then entered the courtroom and entered a change of plea to guilty of possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony.
He was then found guilty and sentenced per the prosecution’s recommendation to seven months in prison with three years post-sentence community control, a six-month license suspension, and a $1,250 fine.
And, right after Rogers, Amanda Hutchenson was added to the schedule, charged with two counts of drug possession.
Leuthold entered a plea of not guilty on Hutchenson’s behalf and appointed Sebastian Berger as her attorney, setting her bond at $100,000, as well as commenting on the fact that she is already undergoing treatment for drug addiction in Mansfield.
Paul Hagerty, 28, found himself in the defendant’s chair next, where he admitted to violating community control through multiple failures to register his residences. He was then sentenced to his original sentence of 18 months on a conviction of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, subject to five years of post-release community control.
Finally, 24-year-old Nicholas Powell closed the day. Powell, who was charged with drug possession in 2009, admitted to his second probation violation that entailed him threatening someone with physical harm.
Because of this violation, Leuthold returned to the original sentence of 12 months, with credit for time already served. With three months left to Powell, the judge didn’t require this, but he recommended Teen Challenge, a program for drug addiction, as a means of turning his life around, as well as sticking close to his pastor, who was present in the courtroom.