Judge warns to stay on the right path

 

A Lawrence County Common Pleas Judge gave a Huntington, W.Va., woman, who admitted to stealing from her father, some sound advice Wednesday.

“If you hang around people who like to get into trouble, you’ll get into trouble too,” Judge D. Scott Bowling told Kayla Harless.

Harless, 25, of 836 Virginia Ave. Apt. E, pleaded guilty to a fifth-degree count of theft.

Co-defendant in the case, Brenda Ritchie, 28, of 972 County Road 18, South Point, had previously pleaded guilty to a third-degree count of theft of a firearm and was sentenced Wednesday.

Both women were sentenced to four years community-controlled sanctions under intensive supervised probation, 200 hours of community service and a commitment to the STAR Community Justice Center.

Harless was ordered to pay restitution to her father in the amount of $6,439. If she fails to comply with her probation orders, she could be sent to prison for 11 months.

Ritchie was ordered to pay $650 in restitution with three years reserved in prison if she violates her CCS orders.

Bowling told Harless that Ritchie had an extensive misdemeanor criminal history.

“If you get out of STAR and keep hanging around people that get into trouble, you’re going to go to prison. Birds of a feather flock together,” Bowling warned.

In other cases:

• Jason Tackett, 31, of 278 County Road 276S, South Point, was sentenced to one year in prison for driving while intoxicated. Tackett also admitted he violated his CCS by committing the crime, which earned him another year in prison, to be served consecutively for a total of two years.

Bowling also ordered Tackett to pay a $2,500 fine, suspended his driver’s license and if he is released from prison on a judicial release, he must attend drug and alcohol counseling.

• Jonlee Boggs, 29, of 253 Township Road 1430 Apt. 6, South Point, was arraigned on a fifth-degree count of breaking and entering. Boggs pleaded not guilty.

Bowling continued bond from a lower court and added a $10,000 own-recognizance bond. Boggs will return to court for a pretrial Jan. 30.

• John Crager, 26, of 301 Third St. East Apt. 20, South Point, denied CCS violations that he failed to report to the adult probation department. Bowling set a trial for Jan. 15.

• Anthony Burks, 45, of 856 County Road 15, South Point, admitted he violated his CCS by failing to report, testing positive for drugs and failing to pay court-related fees. Bowling sentenced the man to 18 months in prison.

• Glen Hall Jr., 58, of 24 Fighter Lane, Chattaroy, W.Va., pleaded guilty to fifth-degree trafficking in drugs and misdemeanor possession of drugs. Additional counts of drug trafficking and possession were dismissed in exchange for Hall’s guilty plea.

Bowling sentenced the man to four years CCS/ISP, 180 days in jail suspended, a $1,250 fine and a six-month driver’s license suspension.

• William Meadows, 27, of 4958 Waverly Road, Huntington, W.Va., was arraigned on and pleaded not guilty to counts of second-degree aggravated vehicular assault and possession of drugs.

Bowling set bond at $5,000 OR plus GPS monitoring and set a pretrial for Jan. 23.

• Eddie Ray Estep, 31, of 150 Township Road 615, South Point, admitted CCS violations. Bowling sentenced the man to 17 months in prison.

• Cory Crabtree, 19, of 301 Helen St., South Point, admitted CCS violations. Bowling sentenced the man to 30 days in the county jail.