By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
When it comes to drugs, word has gotten out that Crawford County is not the place to be caught.
Common Pleas Court Judge Sean Leuthold sentenced 28-year-old Joshua Beekman of Galion to seven months in prison on a fifth-degree felony drug possession charge Tuesday afternoon. In addition, Beekman must pay a $1,250 mandatory drug fine and forfeit drug-related property to the Galion Police Department. His driver’s license was also suspended for six months.
“We don’t tolerate heroin in Crawford County, do you understand that?” Leuthold asked Beekman. “You’re prison eligible. There’s no requirement that I have to put you on probation.”
Despite his hardline stance, Leuthold said he would applaud Beekman if the man would be able to stay clean and commit no crimes.
Though Leuthold would typically send someone to prison for a violent crime, he felt there were extenuating factors in Brandon Reinhart’s case that led allowed the 26-year-old Galion man to avoid any such sentence.
Reinhart pleaded guilty to domestic violence, a fourth-degree felony, in June but a pre-sentence investigation was ordered by Leuthold before he would sentence the man.
The pre-sentence investigation, along with recommendations by others, revealed that Reinhart had mental health issues, though not enough that he wouldn’t be competent enough to stand trial. Leuthold followed the recommendation from the pre-sentence investigation and ordered Reinhart to serve the first 90 days of his five-year community control sentence in the county jail. Reinhart must also successfully complete an anger management program and a mental health assessment.
“The best course of action is to try to address the mental health issue,” Leuthold said.
Reinhart was ordered to have no contact with the victim in the case and he must pay a $1,250 fine.