WILMINGTON — A man received a 36-month prison term after he disobeyed for a third time his duty as a sex offender to report his address to authorities.
A jury returned a verdict of guilty against Andrew R. Jones, 32, of the third-degree felony crime of violating registration requirements. Each of the three times he committed this same offense, his non-compliance occurred in Clinton County.
He also failed to appear in court one time after he was indicted on the charge.
Jones was granted time credit toward his prison term for already serving 159 days in jail in the case.
In a separate case, a Blanchester-area man was ordered this week to resume a 36-month prison term after he violated community control rules a fourth time.
Christopher William Keech, 34, of the Blanchester area, completed the STAR and the STAR Relapse programs after being granted a release from prison in late 2017 and placed under community controls. In the spring of 2017 he had been originally sentenced to prison for possessing chemicals to make meth (F3) and for permitting drug abuse (F5).
As part of the negotiated plea agreement, prosecution indicated it would not oppose an early prison release after the defendant spent 180 days in prison if he had a positive prison record.
While on community control in spring 2018, Keech overdosed, and later admitted to the Probation Department he used heroin twice in May 2018, stated a court paper. A drug screen tested positive for use of meth, amphetamines, fentanyl, and benzodiazepines.
Soon after, he tested positive for meth and amphetamine and also failed to report for testing. Then his third community control violation took place in March 2019 when he refused a drug screen, leaving the courthouse prior to providing a specimen. He failed to report for supervision for nearly four months, according to court papers.
In late December 2019, he failed to report to supervision and refused to submit to a drug screen, stated a court paper. This constituted his fourth violation.
On Tuesday, Keech was ordered to serve out the original prison term of 36 months, minus the 569 days of earned time credit.
At an unrelated sentencing, a term of community controls was revoked and a nine-month term of prison was ordered because the defendant signed herself out of the STAR program after being there about a week.
Heather Younker, 42, who has resided in Port William and Wilmington, was originally convicted of possessing fentanyl and placed on community controls for two years.
About a month after she pled guilty to the drug possession charge, she was administered a drug screen that was positive for methamphetamine and amphetamine. Younker admitted to using a line of meth, according to a court paper.
The Fentanyl possession was Younker’s first felony, though she had “a multitude of misdemeanor convictions,” stated Clinton County Common Pleas Judge John W. “Tim” Rudduck.
At the original sentencing hearing where Younker was put on community controls, Rudduck wrote in the sentencing document that recovery housing may be considered an option, and that the defendant should be screened for possible admission into the local You-Turn Recovery Drug Court.
The STAR Community Justice Center in Franklin Furnace, Ohio is a 250-bed accredited male and female Community-Based Correctional Facility. The facility is an alternative to prison with the primary purpose of rehabilitation of non-violent, felony offenders.
After the hearing where the prison term was ordered, Rudduck wrote, “The court cannot tolerate offenders taking it upon themselves to check out of court-ordered treatment programming without cause.”
The judge granted Younker time credit of 99 days in custody in the case prior to getting transported to state prison.
Other recent Common Pleas sentencings
• David Michael Campbell, 25, of Wilmington, convicted of receiving stolen property (F4), was placed under community control sanctions for two years, and given a six-month jail term (with credit for 85 days already spent in custody). One of his community control sanctions is he must attend and complete STAR programming.
• Branden C. Fisher, 32, of Bowersville, originally convicted of possessing heroin (F5) in Clinton County, has had his community control term extended to July 2021. He also faces a six-month jail term (credit for 74 days served), and he must take part in, and complete, STAR.
• Beverly Denise Blackwell, 40, of the Hillsboro area, originally convicted of possessing drugs (F5) in Clinton County, has had her term of community controls revoked and replaced by a nine-month prison term (credited with 76 days already served in custody).
• Justin D. Brinegar, 26, of the Goshen area, originally convicted of possessing drugs (F5) in Clinton County and failing to appear in court (F4) in Clinton County, saw his community controls revoked and replaced by an eight-month prison term (time credit of 145 days already served). The balance of the prison term will be served locally in the Clinton County Jail.
Reach Gary Huffenberger at 937-556-5768.
