By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
Prison sentences dominated much of the afternoon in Crawford County Common Pleas Court Wednesday.
Thomas Cunningham’s demeanor was considerably calmer than the impression he left Judge Sean Leuthold with in April.
As Cunningham, a 27-year-old Bucyrus man, pleaded guilty to felony two burglary and felony four assault on a police officer, Leuthold noted his behavior was drastically changed now that he was on his medications. Cunningham was not on his medications when he assaulted a deputy at the Crawford County Justice Center during an arraignment hearing earlier this year.
“Sounds like you’re on your meds and it sounds like it will help you out while in prison,” Leuthold said.
Cunningham was sentenced to four years in prison for the burglary charge and two years for the assault charge. Those sentences will be served concurrently for a total of four years. Cunningham will be placed on mandatory post-release control for two years after he completes his entire prison sentence.
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Demetrius Watters will be spending his 22nd birthday in prison. Watters, who admitted to possessing and trafficking in drugs in 2014, admitted to violating his community control when he obstructed official business. Additional violations for possessing crack cocaine and Oxycodone were dismissed as part of Watters’ admittance.
Judge Leuthold sentenced Watters to 15 months in prison with credit for time served.
“I want the word to go out,” Leuthold said to Watters. “This is not the county to buy, sell, or use drugs.”
Watters will be transported to Franklin County to deal with various issues there.
“You couldn’t say I didn’t help you . . . you shouldn’t have been there,” Judge Leuthold warned Charles Tyler Wednesday afternoon as he sentenced the 40-year-old Bucyrus man to seven months in prison.
Tyler admitted to violating his community control when he possessed illegal substances at a Crestline home in June.
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Twenty-three-year-old Ronald Agin of Bucyrus did not believe he was amenable to community control and instead opted to go to prison.
Agin pleaded guilty to a fifth-degree felony of drug possession and received a six-month prison sentence with credit for time served in the county jail. He must pay a $1,250 mandatory drug fine and forfeit any drug-related property to the Bucyrus Police Department. His driver’s license was also suspended for six months.
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Karissa Smith may have only received a community control sentence but she will have to serve the first 90 days of the sentence in the county jail. The 41-year-old Bucyrus woman admitted to violating her intervention in lieu of conviction program Wednesday and Judge Sean Leuthold entered her guilty plea.
“You had a fine chance here and you blew it,” Leuthold told her as he ordered Smith to enter into a drug and alcohol treatment program.
Smith must also pay a $1,250 fine and her license was suspended for six months on both counts of felony drug possession. Should she fail on community control, Smith could receive a total of 24 months in prison.
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James Wills just wanted to keep his job, but after already pleading guilty to a felony, that wish will probably end far from reality. The 31-year-old Bucyrus man awaited his sentencing for possessing drugs and seemed to hold a ray of hope that Judge Sean Leuthold would not go through with the felony charge. The judge dashed those hopes when he ordered Wills to be placed on community control for five years, though he added the caveat that if Wills could maintain good behavior then he would consider ending the probation after one year. Wills must also pay a $1,250 mandatory drug fine and forfeit any drug-related property. His driver’s license was suspended for six months.
If Wills fails on community control he could face 12 months in prison.
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Forty-two-year-old Kevin Parker squeaked by with a personal recognizance bond Wednesday afternoon. Parker was granted judicial release in June after serving less than one year of his four-year prison sentence for burglary. While out on probation Parker allegedly violated that probation when he operated a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, with a minor in the vehicle, and consumed alcoholic beverages.
Parker denied the violations and Judge Leuthold released him on a personal recognizance bond with orders that Parker does not consume and drugs or alcohol.
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