By Gary Ogle and Krystal Smalley
gogle@wbcowqel.com; ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
The recipe for justice requires accountability and consequences tempered with a certain amount of mercy when appropriate. One particular case on Tuesday seemed a time when that mercy was appropriate.
Thirty-year-old Stacy Fair of Crestline pleaded guilty to three counts of assaulting a peace officer and another count of felony vandalism. A plea arrangement with the County Prosecutor’s Office called for three consecutive 12-month prison terms totaling 36 months along with a $2,000 fine.
Judge Sean Leuthold went along with the prison sentence, waived the fine and agreed with Assistant Prosecutor Ryan Hoovler to consider early release in as soon as 90 days.
Fair, who tearfully told the court, “I’m sorry,” admitted to getting drunk on the evening in question.
“I don’t even remember anything about it until the next day when I woke up in the hospital,” Fair said.
In explaining his sentence, the judge told her, “I think you need help. But I don’t think, unless you’ve got a pretty good hammer over your head, you’re going to listen to me.”
Both Leuthold and Hoovler agreed that Fair would be a good candidate for the court’s ISAT program when she is released, even though she does not fit the usual criteria for that program.
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Lovell Wareham’s run-ins with the Crawford County justice system continued Tuesday afternoon when the 25-year-old Bucyrus man pleaded guilty to failure to provide change of address, a fourth-degree felony.
Wareham, who served an 18-month prison sentence in 2015 for domestic violence, was sentenced to 15 months in prison this time and fined $1,000.
“You’ve been a failure,” Leuthold told Wareham. “Things aren’t getting better – they’re getting worse.”
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Leuthold chose to give Cody Barthalow a small break even as the 24-year-old Bucyrus man admitted to violating his community control.
Barthalow, who was placed on probation in 2016 for drug possession, admitted to operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and consuming alcohol last November. He received a six-month prison sentence, but will not have to report to the county jail until Feb. 21, a reprieve Leuthold gave in light of the fact that Barthalow not only posted bond, but also returned to court for his hearing.
“I’m hoping this is the end of everything. That I’ll never have to see you again,” Leuthold said.
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