County common pleas court stays busy last week
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, September 14, 2005
A Buckeye Lake man will spend 30 days in jail after he admitted to violating the terms of his community controlled sanctions.
Rodney Peyton was originally sentenced to 90 days in jail and four years community controlled sanctions after pleading guilty to a burglary charge last year.
Assistant Lawrence County Prosecutor Mack Anderson said Wednesday Peyton had failed to report with his probation officer as scheduled and had once admitted to using marijuana.
Peyton's attorney, Tyler Smith, said his client, who is mildly mentally retarded, is willing to comply with the rules in the future but would like to see his case transferred to Licking County, where he now lives, to make it easier for him to report to authorities.
"If you don't comply you will be back in court and you will be in the penitentiary," Lawrence County Common Pleas Judge Frank McCown told Peyton. "And I understand you've been smoking pot. If it happens again, it's not going to be good for you."
"I plan to get help," Peyton said.
Also Wednesday, Ronda Drayer-Deachin was sentenced to 60 days in jail after she failed to appear in court last year to answer charges that she violated the terms of her community controlled sanctions. Drayer-Deachin was found guilty of criminal non-support in Sept. 2003. She was accused last year of failing to make support payments in a timely manner and not reporting to her probation officer as scheduled.
Anderson said the woman was originally $10,000 in arrears on her child support payments.
"Every day you don't pay you get further behind," McCown said. "Someone's got to feed these kids on a daily basis and you're not doing it.
I don't have a lot of confidence you can do it and then we'll be right back here again."
"I'd like another chance," Drayer-Deachin said. "I will do it."
"If we're back here again, the state will likely recommend prison," Anderson said.
Also Wednesday, a California man was arraigned on charges of criminal non-support. Warren Hong, 42, of San Dimas, was indicted on six counts, three of them third-degree felonies and three of them fifth-degree felonies.
Assistant Lawrence County Prosecutor Brigham Anderson said that as of March, Hong was approximately $74,000 in arrears on his child support payments.
McCown set bond at $150,000 - double the amount Hong owes for his three children.
Hong's attorney, Derick Fisher, said Hong's children support their father will likely testify on his behalf.