Ironton man gets 10 years for drug crime, escape

Published 11:53 am Thursday, December 10, 2015

An Ironton man indicted nearly two years ago for manufacturing drugs was sentenced Wednesday in Lawrence County Common Pleas Court.

Thurman Harshbarger III, 38, of 85 Township Road 311, pleaded guilty Wednesday to a second-degree count of illegal manufacture of drugs, stemming from a February 2014 indictment. He also pleaded guilty to a second-degree count of escape, fourth-degree failure to appear and third-degree tampering with evidence that were from an April 2015 indictment.

Judge D. Scott Bowling sentenced the man to 10 years in prison and a three-year driver’s license suspension.

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In an unrelated case, Marlene Paschall, 41, of 23034 Battelle Ave., Hazel Park, Michigan, pleaded guilty to a second-degree count of aggravated trafficking in drugs.

Judge Charles Cooper sentenced the woman to four years in prison and suspended her driver’s license for one year.

In other cases:

• Keith Adkins, 39, and Gary Hay, 41, both of 3109 S. Fifth St., Ironton, were sentenced to four years community control sanctions under intensive supervised probation, 200 hours community service and four months home confinement. Both men previously pleaded guilty to third-degree arson.

• Heather Henry, 29, of 860 County Road 18, South Point, was arraigned on one fourth- and two third-degree counts of trafficking in drugs, to which she pleaded not guilty. Bowling set bond at $20,000 own-recognizance plus GPS monitoring. A pretrial was set for Jan. 13.

• David Hess, 20, of 103 Columbus St., South Point, was sentenced to four years CCS/ISP and 200 hours of community service for two fifth-degree counts of forgery, to which he previously pleaded guilty.

• Joseph Wilson, 65, of 2812 Erwin Road, Jackson, was arraigned on a fourth-degree DUI, to which he pleaded not guilty. Bowling set bond at $10,000 cash or surety and $10,000 OR plus GPS monitoring. He is also not allowed to drive pending the outcome of the case. A pretrial was set for Jan. 13.

• Kelcie Williams, 20, of 405 Laurel Ave., Ashland, was arraigned on a fifth-degree count of possession of heroin and misdemeanor counts of possession of drug abuse instruments and drug paraphernalia, to which she pleaded not guilty. Bowling set bond at $10,000 OR and set a pretrial for Jan. 6.

• Brandon McComas, 18, of Bradley Road, Huntington, pleaded guilty to one fourth- and two fifth-degree counts of trafficking in drugs. Sentencing was set for Dec. 16.

• Candy Long, 36, of 62 Township Road 1161 Lot 7D, Proctorville, was arraigned on a fifth-degree count of theft, to which she pleaded not guilty. Bowling set bond at $10,000 OR and set a pretrial for Jan. 13.

• Damien Fox, 30, of 127 Township Road 1021, South Point, was arraigned on a bill of information of fourth-degree burglary and misdemeanor theft, to which he pleaded not guilty. Bowling set bond at $10,000 OR plus GPS and set a pretrial for Jan. 6.

• Shawn Runnels, 39, of 803 N. Kenova Road, South Point, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of theft, which was amended from a count of grand theft. Bowling sentenced the man to three years probation, 100 hours community service and 180 days in jail suspended. Runnels was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $12,191 to the unemployment office of the Department of Job and Family Services.

• Edward Holmes Jr., 37, of 722 Mulberry St., Ironton, was arraigned on two fifth-degree counts of violating a protection order or consent agreement, to which he pleaded not guilty. Bowling set bond at $10,000 OR and set a pretrial for Dec. 30.

• David Dodds, 36, of 38 Township Road 1501, was arraigned on a bill of information of fifth-degree possession of heroin, to which he pleaded not guilty. Bowling set bond at $15,000 cash or surety and OR. A pretrial was set for Jan. 6.

• John Milstead, 43, of 260 State Route 239, West Portsmouth, was arraigned on a bill of information of fourth-degree assault on a peace officer and a count of resisting arrest, to which he pleaded not guilty. Cooper continued bond from a lower court and added a $15,000 OR bond. A pretrial was set for Dec. 23.

• Timmie Fortner, 49, of 144 Township Road 615, South Point, was arraigned on one third- and two fourth-degree counts of trafficking in drugs, to which he pleaded not guilty. Cooper set bond at $50,000 cash or surety plus $50,000 OR. A pretrial was set for Dec. 23.

• Wanda Fortner, 50, of 144 Township Road 615, South Point, was arraigned on a fourth-degree count of trafficking in drugs, to which she pleaded not guilty. Cooper set bond at $20,000 cash or surety and $20,000 OR. A pretrial was set for Dec. 16.

• Richard Smith, 61, of 618 N. Sixth St., Ironton, was arraigned on a third-degree count of trafficking in drugs, to which he pleaded not guilty. Cooper set bond at $20,000 OR and set a pretrial for Dec. 30.

• Darnell Lisath, 40, of 2314 Marguerite St., Ashland, was arraigned on third-degree counts of possession of drugs and trafficking in drugs, to which he pleaded not guilty. Cooper set bond at $20,000 cash or surety and OR and a pretrial was set for Dec. 23.