By Kathy Laird

John Parker, 34, of Crestline will spend nearly five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to three separate charges in Crawford County Common Pleas Court on Thursday.

Parker was charged with a three-count indictment by September Grand Jury. He pleaded guilty to two counts of breaking and entering both fifth-degree felonies and one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity a second-degree felony.

According to the indictment, Parker broke into Sautter Brothers Machine and Fabricating on Brandt Road in Galion and a residence on N. Market St. in Galion.

He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $733.97.

In other court news, heroin overdose brought Christopher Grasley, 28, of Upper Sandusky before Judge Sean Leuthold on charges of possession of drugs. Originally facing 12 months in prison, Grasley took a plea deal to serve eight months in prison.

Before handing down the sentence Judge Sean Leuthold asked Grasley, “Is this a race? Are you trying to kill yourself while I’m racing to keep you alive? If that’s the case, you are going to win because there are only a couple of ways this ends; either recovery, incarceration or death.”

When asked if he had anything to say, Grasley said he’d gotten involved with the wrong crowd and that this had been a wake-up call for him.

“You must know this stuff is all laced with fentanyl and that’s what’s killing people. There is going to be a time when we say that people are taking fentanyl laced with heroin instead of the other way around,” concluded Leuthold.

A dishonest drug dealer helped a Mansfield woman dodge a bullet in a drug possession case. Tonya Mullet, 42, was sentenced Thursday to five years of community control, but faced up to twelve months in prison.

Before Mullet could be returned to the Crawford County Justice Center, her case took an interesting turn.

Assistant Prosecutor Ryan Hoovler, received a text from BCI in Columbus with the results of substance tests that were done on the heroin seized from Mullett. It was discovered a white substance she bought as heroin was the over the counter medication Aleve.

Leuthold had Mullett brought back into the courtroom to adjust the charges and withdraw her plea. Leuthold praised Hoovler for acting quickly to correct the situation.

“I’m going to be blunt with you Ms. Mullett, you thought you had cocaine. You can thank your drug dealer for being a crook. You’re too old for this, get your act together and don’t waste your good luck.”

Mullett then pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges of possessing drug abuse instruments and possessing drug paraphernalia.