WILMINGTON — A man who reportedly has overdosed three times in his life has been given a 21-month prison term after a fifth violation of community control rules.
Randall Lee Kerns, 41, of Wilmington had successfully completed the STAR program and the STAR Relapse program, and had been a participant in the You Turn Recovery Drug Court since its start-up in winter of 2015.
But he tested positive for cocaine in February, leading Clinton County Common Pleas Judge John W. “Tim” Rudduck, who presides over the local drug court docket, to say the court has “run out of local options.”
At one point, Kerns had complied with all terms of the drug court docket for 14 months, and was on track to graduate from drug court in July 2016 — the court’s first graduation event.
However, on May 11, 2016 he tested positive for opiates and morphine, and later admitted he had ingested heroin.
And on June 1, 2016 Kerns overdosed on drugs and was revived by Narcan. In late June 2016, Rudduck ordered Kerns to complete all programming required in the STAR Relapse program — a new program that provided a more individualized treatment plan than the basic STAR program.
Looking further back, court papers say that Kerns overdosed on heroin on Feb. 2, 2015. That day, EMS personnel responded and injected him with Narcan and he was then transported to the hospital.
The case file indicates Kerns acknowledged he used heroin in April 2014.
The original convictions in the case against Kerns were for trafficking in heroin in December 2011 and in February 2012, and for tampering with evidence in April 2014 when he tried to use someone else’s urine to pass a drug test.
In an unrelated sentencing, a Midland woman received a one-year prison term for assaulting a Wilmington police officer.
Shavonne McCulley, 38, kicked the officer and bit him on the arm in August 2016 in the city. McCulley pled no contest to the felony assault charge in December 2016, and was then found guilty of committing assault.
In the official judgment entry, Rudduck noted McCulley previously had assaulted a corrections officer, and also had been found guilty of domestic violence.
Reach Gary Huffenberger at 937-556-5768.
