BUCYRUS — A Galion man that Crawford County Common Pleas Court Judge Sean Leuthold called the worst probationer he’d encountered was sentenced to prison Wednesday in Common Pleas Court.
Tristan Woods, 22, pleaded guilty to violating the terms and conditions of his community control. Probation officer Chris Heydinger outlined Woods’ history since being placed under his supervision in August 2018.
According to Heydinger, Woods first violated his transitional control in November 2018 for meth and methamphetamine use. He was sentenced to prison and granted judicial release after serving 30 days. From judicial release he was sent to a community-based correctional facility.
In June 2019, he was terminated from the program and sent back to prison. His probation was tolled until his release from prison. Upon release, he was placed on community control. After just five days out of prison he was stopped by the Galion police department for driving his bicycle at night without lights and going the wrong way. He was found in possession methamphetamine and a glass pipe.
On January 17, he tested positive for alcohol and admitted to use. Heydinger told the court that since he was on community control, Woods had accumulated more than a dozen violations.
Woods’ attorney, Tom Nicholson, told the court his client needed a total restart in his life.
Leuthold reimposed 18 months in prison on the original charge of assault on an officer, a fourth-degree felony punishable with up to 18 months in prison and six months in prison on the current charge of possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony punishable with up to 12 months in prison. Woods will spend a total of 24 months in prison but will receive credit for all jail time served.
“You have been one of the worst probationers I have ever had. I have bent over backwards for you giving you chance after chance,” Leuthold said. “You just keep piling on the felonies. In this case, you put yourself and others in danger on the roadway. You could’ve been hit, or somebody could’ve swerved to miss you in the road and get seriously hurt. When you’re riding down the road with no lights and high on meth, that’s when bad things happen.”
In other court action, Sherry Stone, 49, of Bucyrus pleaded guilty to violating the terms and conditions of her community control. Stone was placed on community control in 2018 after she pleaded guilty to one count of possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony punishable with up to 12 months in prison.
According to probation officer Mark Wurm, Stone tested positive for meth, methamphetamine and cocaine. She was also in possession of drug paraphernalia and had associated with a felon.
Leuthold sentenced Stone to a flat six months in prison. She will receive jail time credit.
Christina Hunter, 49, of Galion pleaded guilty to one count of theft, a fourth-degree felony punishable with up to 18 months in prison.
In a plea agreement, Leuthold sentenced Hunter to five years of community control and ordered Hunter to pay restitution. Leuthold also ordered a post-sentence investigation be completed because Hunter now lives in Mansfield and Richland County requires the investigation before a probationer can be transferred into their county.