By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com

Scott Thompson Jr.’s pleas to Common Pleas Court Judge Sean Leuthold the last time they met didn’t seem to hold much weight the next time they were face-to-face.

Thompson had appeared in Crawford County Common Pleas Court on June 17 for violating his probation. At the time, assistant prosecutor Ryan Hoovler offered Thompson the remainder of his 54-month prison sentence and an additional six-month sentence if he admitted to the violations and pleaded guilty to his newest charge of receiving stolen property. Thompson refused the offer that day but that additional six months returned Wednesday.

Twenty-seven-year-old Thompson pleaded guilty to the felony five receiving stolen property charge Wednesday and was sentenced to six months in prison, a term that will be served consecutively with the remainder of the 54-month prison sentence Leuthold imposed just a few weeks ago. Thompson will be credited for any time served in prison or the county jail.

Twenty-nine-year-old Joshua Eldridge of Galion learned the hard way that when a court says not to have any contact with someone, it’s best if you follow that order.

Eldridge pleaded guilty to violating a civil protection order on June 10 and had been held in the county jail until a pre-sentence investigation could be completed. During that time, it was reported that Eldridge had made calls from the jail to the victim in the case.

According to Ohio law, Eldridge was not eligible for prison for the fifth degree felony but his actions while in jail could have led to additional multiple felonies and more complications. Due to the stipulations in the case, Leuthold sentenced Eldridge to eight months in prison in lieu of filing new charges against Eldridge.

“For every phone call there could be a year in prison,” Leuthold explained. He found that the prison sentence was a fair resolution in the matter.

Felonies added up for 30-year-old Nicole Whitmore after a while.

Whitmore had pleaded guilty to theft and admitted to violating her intervention program nearly a month ago but was arraigned on additional felony charges of forgery a few weeks after that. Whitmore pleaded guilty to the four new counts of forgery involving checks.

“Recidivism factors call for prison,” Leuthold stated. “It’s absolutely ridiculous that someone can commit three felonies and I can’t put them in prison (due to Ohio law).”

Due to the timing and circumstances of her cases, Whitmore was not eligible for prison but Judge Sean Leuthold didn’t let that stop him from sending her to the county jail to serve a six-month sentence. He ordered Whitmore to be placed on community control for five years on all three cases with the stipulation that she serve six months in the county jail – 90 days for the theft charge and 90 days for the forgery charges. She must also pay a $750 and a $1,250 fine along with $419.20 and $2,180 in restitution from the newest two cases.

If Whitmore fails on community control, she could be subject to a total of six years in prison for all three cases.