Arraignments dominate court docket

Published 9:41 am Monday, June 11, 2012

Arraignments on everything from drunken driving to open burning were considered Wednesday in Lawrence County Common Pleas Court.

James F. McClaskey, 41, of 3280 State Route 373, Pedro, was arraigned on one felony count of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. He pleaded not guilty through his attorney, Warren Morford.

Judge D. Scott Bowling allowed bond set in a lower court to continue and added a $25,000 own recognizance (OR) bond to it. Bowling also prohibited McClaskey from driving while his case is pending. McClaskey must return to court June 20 for a pretrial conference.

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Robert Armstrong, 39, of 644 Township Road 212N, Willow Wood, was arraigned on one count of failure to provide change of address. As a registered sex offender, Armstrong is required to report to the sheriff’s office if he moves to a new home. The indictment against him alleges he did not do so. He pleaded not guilty through his attorney, David Reid Dillon. Bowling allowed bond set in a lower court to continue and added a $10,000 OR bond. Armstrong must return to court June 27 for a pretrial conference.

George F. Handley, 43, of 22 Township Road 1237, Proctorville, was also arraigned on one count of failure to provide change of address. Bowling allowed a bond set in lower court to continue and added a $10,000 OR bond to it.

Handley must return to court June 20 for a pretrial conference.

Paul Brown, 36, of 92 Township Road 1018, South Point, was arraigned on one count of intimidation and one count of open burning. He pleaded not guilty through his attorney,

David Reid Dillon. Bowling set bond at $50,000 cash, surety or property and added a $50,000 OR bond to it. Brown must return to court June 27 for a pretrial conference.