BUCYRUS — A Tiffin man was sent to prison after admitting to violating the terms and conditions of his community control.
Stanley Hoffman, 56, of Tiffin pleaded guilty in 2018 to one count of menacing by stalking, a fourth-degree felony punishable with up to 18 months in prison. Hoffman became fixated on a young woman whose picture he saw on social media. He did not know the girl but began stalking her at her home, school and church.
Crawford County Common Pleas Court Judge Sean Leuthold ordered Hoffman to have no contact directly or indirectly with the victim or any member of her immediate family as a condition of his community control.
Probation officer Mark Alspach prepared a community control violation on Hoffman who sent him a letter in which he expressed his desire to be released from community control. He threatened to put slanderous and untrue statements about the victim, her family, court personnel and Judge Leuthold on social media if he was not released from community control. Hoffman told the court in his letter that he had the right to put the lies on social media.
Hoffman pled guilty to the charges as filed. Leuthold gave Hoffman the opportunity to speak and he lamented the fact that being in prison for more than a year would result in the loss of his social security disability payments. He also told the court his parents needed him at home.
“Prison is hard enough of a sentence. But I don’t want to lose my benefits,” Hoffman said.
Court-appointed attorney Brian Gernert told the court that he had discussed options with Hoffman regarding his disability.
Leuthold sternly addressed Hoffman.
“It’s real simple,” Leuthold said. “I know you are not an unintelligent man and that makes you somewhat dangerous. You are manipulative and clever. But in this county, you cannot manipulate, fool or intimidate us. This is not the county to mess around with us.”
In addition to the prison sentence, the State of Ohio dismissed the intimidation charge, a third-degree felony punishable with up to 36 months in prison. The new charge was dismissed without prejudice, meaning the state can refile the charges later.
“Look, when you get out of prison, you are done with Crawford County,” Leuthold said. “But if you contact this victim or the victim’s family from prison or when you get out, you’re going to be right back in front of me. You’ll be facing new charges and looking at three years in prison. Behave yourself. And if found guilty, I will sentence you just like (snapping fingers) that.”
Leuthold imposed the maximum sentence of 18 months in prison. He ordered victim’s advocate Jim Scott to inform the victim’s family of the sentence and the no contact orders.