Arraignments dominate common pleas court docket
Published 10:28 am Monday, May 7, 2012
Several people indicted by a Lawrence County Grand Jury last week made appearance this week to answer those charges in Lawrence County Common Pleas Court.
Antonio Butler, 20, of 20 Township Road 1018, South Point, was arraigned on one count of receiving stolen property. He pleaded not guilty through his attorney, David Reid Dillon.
Judge D. Scott Bowling allowed a $3,000 surety bond posted in a lower court to continue and added a $20,000 own recognizance (OR) bond to it. Butler must return to court May 23 for a pretrial conference.
Charles Gardner, 21, of 101 Brubaker Drive, South Point, was arraigned on charges of tampering with evidence and possession of drugs stemming from one case and two counts of aggravated trafficking in drugs from another. He pleaded not guilty through his attorney, Tyler Smith.
Bowling allowed both cases to be merged and set a $25,000 cash or surety bond and added a $25,000 OR bond to it. Garner must return to court May 16 for a pretrial conference.
William P. Pernell, 51, of 937 County Road 138, Ironton, was arraigned on one count of felony driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. He pleaded not guilty through his attorney, Warren Morford.
Bowling set bond at $25,000 property and added a $20,000 OR bond to it. Bowling ordered Pernell to submit to electronically monitored home confinement with no driving privileges. Pernell must return to court May 16 for a pretrial conference.
Herschel Vanhoose, 38, whose address is listed on court documents as “unknown” was arraigned on one count of failure to notify authorities of change of address. He pleaded not guilty through Morford, who is also his attorney.
Morford asked for a lower bond than the $15,000 Assistant Lawrence County Prosecutor Mack Anderson recommended.
“He’s not employed, he has no funds to make bond and he has no family with property here,” Morford explained. Bowling took Anderson’s recommendation but allowed Vanhoose to post 10 percent. Vanhoose must return to court May 9 for a pretrial conference.
James E. Kiser, 45, of 1004 Kemp Lane, Ironton, was arraigned on three counts of aggravated trafficking in drugs (oxycodone). He pleaded not guilty through attorney Warren Morford, who was standing in for attorney Mike Davenport.
Bowling said the matter of bond was a moot point because the Adult Probation Agency will be filing a probation violation charge against Kiser in the very near future. He did schedule a May 16 pretrial conference.
Crystal G. Lewis, 30, of 1405 S. Fourth St., Ironton, was arraigned on charges of domestic violence, assault of a peace officer and resisting arrest. She pleaded not guilty through her attorney, Mike Gleichauf. Bowling set a $20,000 surety bond and a $20,000 OR bond and scheduled a May 16 pretrial conference.
William Bryant, 29, of 61 Pike St., Coal Grove, was arraigned a charge of receiving stolen property. He pleaded not guilty through his attorney, John Kehoe.
Bowling scheduled a May 9 pretrial conference but ordered Bryant held on a pending probation violation.
Joshua Johnson, 29, of 315 N. Sixth St., Ironton, was arraigned on two counts of complicity to trafficking in drugs, two counts of trafficking in drugs, and single counts each of trafficking in marijuana, possession of criminal tools, misdemeanor possession of drugs, possession of marijuana and possession of drugs.
He pleaded not guilty through his attorney, Chris Delawder. Bowling set a $200,000 surety bond and added a $50,000 OR bond to it.
Johnson must return to court May 16 for a pretrial conference.