By Gary Ogle and Krystal Smalley
gogle@wbcowqel.com; ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
Crawford County Common Pleas Court Judge Sean Leuthold had an unusual message for a defendant prior to sentencing him to 36 months in prison.
“This may not be good,” the judge told 33-year-old William Smith of Galion. “But it is never going to be this good again.”
The judge’s reference was the 36-month prison sentence for second-degree felony burglary which carries a maximum prison sentence of eight years. Leuthold said a typical prison sentence for that offense would normally be six to eight years. Calling Smith’s case “difficult,” Leuthold noted there was no violence during the crime, nor threat of violence to the victim. Furthermore, Smith has no prior felonies.
Smith pleaded guilty to the burglary charge and a second count, third-degree theft, was dropped by the Prosecutor’s Office. Restitution to the victim was also ordered. However, the amount of restitution has yet to be determined.
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An arraignment for a 28-year-old Galion woman on drug possession charges was more temptation than the judge could resist for a hint of sarcasm from the bench. The judge’s caustic comments were not directed towards the defendant, Tiffany Quaintance, but rather state lawmakers in Columbus.
Quaintance was arraigned on two charges of felony five drug possession involving heroin. Quaintance had overdosed in Crestline and a week later she overdosed again in Galion. A new law enacted this year would have normally given Quaintance immunity from such charges, however she failed to provide the Prosecutor’s Office proof she had an assessment as required by the new law within the requisite amount of time.
“Well the immunity law seems to be working the way it was supposed to,” the judge quipped.
Leuthold set bond for Quaintance at $150,000 at the request of Assistant Prosecutor Ryan Hoovler and appointed attorney Grant Garverick to represent her.
Thirty-seven-year Renee Stratton, of Bucyrus, was placed on the prosecutor’s diversion program in exchange for her guilty plea to theft. During the two-year program, Stratton must pay $8,160.02 in restitution to the Bucyrus Elementary School PTO and $600 for the cost of the case.
“The only reason you got diversion on this case is because we want you to work and we want you to pay this back,” explained Judge Sean Leuthold. “You have to pay this money back. This must happen.”
“My goal is to pay this back as soon as possible,” Stratton said.
Leuthold will hold the guilty plea until Stratton successfully completes the diversion program. If she fails the program, she could be subject to five years on community control for the fourth-degree felony.
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