BUCYRUS — A Columbus man appeared in Crawford County Common Pleas Court on Monday to plead guilty to one count of trafficking in drugs and one count of tampering with evidence, both third-degree felonies punishable with up to 36 months in prison on each count.
In a plea negotiation, Common Pleas Court Judge Sean Leuthold sentenced Latrell Bennett of Columbus to 24 months on each count for a total of 48 months in prison.
Bennett, 30, will be eligible for judicial release after serving at least one year of the sentence. He was ordered to forfeit all drug-related property to the appropriate agency. He will receive jail time credit of 67 days.
In other court action, Allen Glosser, 21, of Bucyrus was sentenced to a total of 48 months in prison after pleading guilty to violating the terms and conditions of his community control and admitting to a new charge of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.
In April 2018, Glosser pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, a fourth-degree felony punishable with up to 18 months in prison. He was sentenced to prison and subsequently granted judicial release in May 2018. In November 2018 he was sent to the Volunteers of America treatment program in Mansfield.
Glosser was set to go to trial on a new charge of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. The incident occurred in September. In addition to the new charge, Glosser was also charged with violating the conditions of his probation.
A plea deal will send Glosser to prison for the next 54 months. His original sentence of 18 months was imposed by Leuthold along with an additional 36 months in prison on the new charge.
Glosser will be required to register as a Tier II Sex Offender for the next 25 years. He will receive 261 days of jail time credit taken off the 18-month sentence and was ordered to have no contact with the victim.
“Mr. Glosser, the girl needs to be an adult. You can’t mess around with young girls,” Leuthold said. “You need to be with adult women who can consent to being in a relationship with you, who are interested in you — not in little girls. Of you come out and do this again, you will grow old in prison.”
Thomas Owens, 49, formerly of the Mansfield Correctional Institute, pleaded guilty to violating the terms and conditions of his community control but opted to argue for sentencing in Common Pleas Court on Monday.
Owens was originally sentenced to 59 months in prison after pleading guilty to having weapons under disability, a third-degree felony punishable with up to 36 months in prison and two counts of possession of cocaine, each fifth-degree felonies punishable with up to 12 months in prison on each. Owens was sentenced to 36 months in prison on the weapons under disability charge and 12 and 11 months, respectively, for the possession charges.
According to probation officer Chris Heydinger, Owens was granted judicial release on May 9 and signed up for supervision on May 13. On May 20, he tested positive for use of marijuana but was given a warning and placed on weekly testing for two months.
Heydinger reported that Owens did well and returned to monthly visits. On October 1, Heydinger testified that Owens tested positive for morphine and admitted using the same.
Owens was represented by court-appointed attorney Andrew Motter who argued that his client had suffered from drug addiction since he was 17. Motter told the court that his client had never had an opportunity at treatment and asked the court to send Owens to a community-based correctional facility for treatment.
“My client has a problem and needs treatment. He needs help and he won’t get it in prison,” Motter said.
Assistant Prosecutor Ryan Hoovler told the court, “We gave him a bite of the apple, he got a lot of breaks. It is not fair. We ask the court to reimpose the 59-month sentence due to his behavior and inability to stay out of trouble.”
Before imposing sentence, Leuthold told Owens, “You’ve been given break after break by the probation department. The first time we let you out, you’re using morphine. You’ve had so many bites of the apple that all that’s left is the core.”
Leuthold imposed the 59-month prison sentence but told Owens he would not oppose transitional control if the prison requested it.
Jordan Gibson, 21, of Bucyrus admitted to violating the terms and conditions of his community control when he pleaded guilty to one count of theft, a fifth-degree felony punishable with up to 12 months in prison.
Gibson was on community control for breaking and entering in 2018, when during this year’s Bratwurst Festival, he stole a golf cart belonging to the festival committee. Gibson then tried to paint the golf cart with a latex-based indoor paint.
“It takes a special kind of dumb to get yourself sent to prison over this stuff. What in the hell possessed you to steal a golf cart?” Leuthold said. “You were the getaway driver of a golf cart! I don’t know which is dumber, stealing it or painting it! Who would buy a golf cart painted with latex house paint? The level of stupidity boggles my mind!”
Gibson was sentenced to 10 months in prison but will receive credit for 38 days of jail time.
James Williams, 32, of Bucyrus pleaded guilty to one count of having weapons under disability, a third-degree felony punishable with up to 36 months in prison.
In a plea negotiation, Leuthold sentenced Williams to a flat 18 months in prison with a possible judicial release after serving one year. He will forfeit one handgun. Williams will receive 96 days of jail time credit and Leuthold told Williams he would not oppose transitional control.