By Gary Ogle
gogle@wbcowqel.com
A 38-year-old Crestline man avoided both a trial and a prison sentence on Wednesday morning when he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of tampering with records.
Martin Fife Jr. pleaded guilty to the third-degree felony and Common Pleas Court Judge Sean Leuthold went along with the agreement reached between Fife’s attorney Joel Spitzer and the County Prosecutor’s Office. Fife was sentenced to five years of community control.
Fife was charged when he filed false documents with the Crawford County Department of Jobs and Family Services. There were no benefits paid out as a result of the documents.
Fife, who was in the county jail for 80 days waiting for his case to be adjudicated, could have been sentenced to prison for as long as 36 months. Should he fail to successfully complete community control, that prison sentence remains a possibility.
Fife was also fined $750. In handing down the sentence, the judge noted that Fife’s crime did not involve drugs or any violence or threat of violence.