Local man gets 2 years for probation violation
Published 12:00 am Saturday, June 3, 2006
A Chesapeake man may have erred one time too many and now he’s going to prison for it.
Lawrence County Common Pleas Judge Frank McCown sentenced Timothy Crouch, 29, of 153 Township Road 1007, to 2 1/2 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to violating his probation.
Crouch was arrested in July 2005 and placed on probation after he pleaded guilty to burglary. He was given judicial release upon indication that he would get drug treatment.
Crouch was arrested earlier this month for multiple offenses. Assistant Lawrence County Prosecutor Brigham Anderson said Crouch should be sent to prison for the balance of the sentence he did not serve.
“He’s been given a couple of chances already,” Anderson said. “He’s tested positive for drugs and failed to report (to his probation officer) on time. He didn’t complete his drug treatment as he was supposed to. And he resisted arrest when his community control officer (Carl Bowen) began to arrest him for his CCS violation. It ended up with the defendant injuring the officer in a scuffle on the streets of Chesapeake and he has charges against him in municipal court over this.”
Crouch’s attorney, Philip Heald, asked the court to find some alternative to sending Crouch to prison or impose a lighter prison sentence than the prosecution requested.
“The only thing to do is tell the court he is sorry and I think he will do that — and tell Carl he is sorry, too. We hope the court will see it fit to impose less than the full amount (of prison sentence requested) and then be released to community controlled sanctions.”
Crouch said he was sorry, admitted he was a drug addict and said he did not get drug treatment because he didn’t have the money to pay for it. He said he had not meant to hurt anyone with his behavior.
“I’m not out trying to hurt anyone with my behavior,” he said. “I’m just out hurting myself.”
But McCown was evidently unfazed.
“We trusted you would do the right thing but then there have been multiple violations. You didn’t get treatment and no restitution was ever made,” McCown said.
“As a matter of fact, when Mr. Bowen arrested you, you had drug paraphernalia on you,” McCown said. “Frankly, I’m concerned for you, and I’m concerned for the people on the streets because I think you’re going to end up hurting someone.”
Crouch has a history with the criminal justice system. In
November 2002 he was indicted by a Lawrence County grand jury in connection with a fatal traffic accident in which an elderly woman, Juanita Moore, was killed.
In March 2003 he pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide and the following month was sentenced to three years in prison.
However, he was released later that year and was placed on four years probation. In July 2005 he was sent back to prison for the burglary, but as part of his plea agreement, was released six months later to get the drug treatment that he admitted
he never received.