By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
There was one theme that was stressed to every defendant who appeared in Crawford County Common Pleas Court Thursday afternoon: the days of doing dumb things are over.
Eighteen-year-old Isaiah Johnson and 20-year-old Ciera Thoroughman pleaded guilty on bills of information to breaking and entering, a fifth-degree felony. The pair were placed on the prosecutor’s two-year diversion program.
Johnson and Thoroughman were two of the four people arrested for allegedly committing a breaking and entering offense at the Sk8 Factory in Bucyrus on Feb. 9. According to Bucyrus Police Chief Dave Koepke at the time, the owners of the skating rink found that trespassers had helped themselves to some of the snacks at the business. Judge Sean Leuthold added that the trespassers – all under the age of 21 – had also been drinking.
“That’s a B&E,” Leuthold said with weary amusement before warning the duo. “The days of doing dumb stuff like that are over . . . No more of this. No more.”
Nineteen-year-old Baileigh Lauthers and a 17-year-old male were also arrested after being tracked down by the responding officers.
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Though Johnson and Thoroughman served as the best example for Leuthold’s theme for the day, it was Eddie Awbrey who enraged the judge.
Awbrey pleaded guilty to an amended charge of felony 3 drug possession and felony 5 permitting drug abuse. He was sentenced to five years on community control, 205 days in the county jail, and a $7,500 mandatory drug fine.
“You’re driving guys around town to get drugs. I know it. Everybody in town knows it,” Leuthold told Awbrey in his typical stern demeanor.
The longer Leuthold addressed Awbrey, however, the angrier he became until he finally stood up from the bench, directing his ire at Awbrey in an extremely loud voice punctuated by pointed gestures.
“Stay the hell away from the heroin dealers,” Leuthold ordered. “This isn’t any of the stuff you’ve done for years. This is serious felony business.”
Leuthold conceded that Awbrey was a pawn in the matter, which was the only leeway he allowed.
“They’re lacing heroin with fentanyl. They’re bringing it into our community,” Leuthold said in a fit of outrage rarely seen from him in the courtroom. “They’re killing our kids.”
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Though Ryan Lucas pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary, a second-degree felony, Leuthold believed she was far from the type of criminal lawmakers pictured when writing up the law. The judge noted that the 23-year-old Galion woman stopped to see her boyfriend of 10 years only to find another woman in the house. Lucas admitted to physically fighting with the woman and breaking a window.
“I don’t think you’re a danger to the public,” Leuthold said.
Lucas was placed on community control for five years.
Fifty-seven-year-old James Davis, of Mt. Gilead, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft, both fourth-degree felonies. He was placed on intervention in lieu of conviction for two years.
Leuthold granted judicial release to Brian Taylor and Randall Allen during the afternoon proceedings.
Taylor’s sentence and release has bookended Leuthold’s time on the bench – he was in the first group of people Leuthold sent to prison in his first few months as Common Pleas Court judge and his release fell close to Leuthold’s second anniversary.
When Leuthold sentenced Taylor in March of 2015, the judge told Taylor to spread the word that this was the wrong county to be selling drugs. As he ordered Taylor released from prison, Leuthold pointed out that the county was a far cry from the one the defendant used to know.
“A lot less drugs, a lot less crimes. The police are on top of things,” Leuthold said. “This isn’t the way it used to be. You don’t get 16 chances.”
Taylor served two years on a three-year prison sentence for drug trafficking.
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Twenty-three-year-old Randall Allen was placed on community control and will enter into the Volunteers of America program after being released from prison. He originally pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and was placed on probation in 2014, but received an 18-month prison sentence after violating his community control.
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