Firewood and church maintenance was part of one man’s sentence when he pleaded guilty to a criminal charge this week in Lawrence County Common Pleas Court.

Larry Stoots, 27, of 121 N. Sixth St., Ironton, pleaded guilty to one count of theft. Judge D. Scott Bowling sentenced Stoots to four years community controlled sanctions under intensive supervised probation and ordered him to perform 60 hours of community service. For his 60 hours of service, Stoots must chop 10 loads of firewood for his father and cut grass for an area church.

Assistant Lawrence County Prosecutor Brigham Anderson said Stoots stole scrap metal from an elderly woman.

“She had told him at the beginning if he would chop the firewood and work at the church she would drop this,” Anderson said. “And he said he didn’t want to do that. So now, he’s having to do it anyway.”

In exchange for his guilty plea, one count of breaking and entering was dismissed.

Also Wednesday, Hank Starr, 43, of 51 Township Road 56, South Point, pleaded guilty to a

five- count indictment on drug charges. Bowling sentenced him total of four years in prison and fined him $25,000. Lawrence County Prosecutor J.B. Collier, Jr., said he will not oppose judicial release after two years if Starr testifies truthfully against two co-defendants who are also facing drug charges.

In another case, Charles Leon McComas, 48, of 2635 County Road 66, Proctorville, pleaded guilty on a bill of information to one count of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of drug or alcohol. Assistant Lawrence County Prosecutor Brigham Anderson said this episode was McComas’ sixth offense in the last 20 years and he had not had any offenses in the last 6 years but when he was stopped for this traffic violation, he indicated he would not take a sobriety test, hence the felony charge. McComas’ attorney, Derick Fisher, said the refusal “did fall on a fine line” and asked that his client be given credit for time served in jail awaiting resolution of his case. Judge D. Scott Bowling sentenced McComas to 90 days in jail, three years community controlled sanctions under intensive supervised probation and fined him $1,000. Bowling further ordered McComas to surrender his driver’s license for a year. He must report to the Lawrence County Jail Jan. 2, 2008.