Another pleads guilty in Masonic Temple vandalism

Published 11:43 am Thursday, July 26, 2012

 

An Ironton teen escaped a possible yearlong jail sentence by agreeing to commit to the STAR Community Justice Center program after pleading guilty to vandalizing the Ironton Masonic Temple in June.

Tony Puckett, 18, of 909 N. Second St., was arraigned on a bill of information of fifth-degree vandalism and breaking and entering Wednesday in Lawrence County Common Pleas Court. Puckett pleaded guilty through his attorney Scott Evans.

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In addition to the STAR commitment, Judge Charles Cooper sentenced Puckett to four years community control sanctions with intensive supervise probation.

Puckett must also remain in the Laurence County jail until STAR can admit him.

Puckett was also ordered to pay $1,000 in restitution to each victim in the case, the Masonic Temple and New Beginnings, a tenant in the building, for a total of $2,000.

Puckett is the second person to be sentenced in the vandalism case. Earlier this month, Dallas M. Roberson, 22, 404 N. Second St. Apt. A, pleaded guilty and was sentenced for the same charges.

Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Mack Anderson said Roberson requested not to go to STAR so he was sentenced to a year in the county jail and also ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution.

According to Anderson, there is one more adult and two juveniles to be prosecuted in the case.

The defendants were arrested in June after the Ironton Masonic Lodge, at 109 N. Third St., was broken into.

Windows on the second and third floors of the building were smashed and office doors were broken into. Also, the area was covered with powder from fire extinguishers.

New Beginnings, a tenant in the building, reported the incident. A Compaq laptop computer, a black lock box with more than $8,000 in checks, $30 in cash and food stamp cards, were reported stolen from the business.

In other cases:

• William Bailey, 46, of 305 Pearl St., Ironton, was arraigned on a bill of information of fifth-degree failure to notify a change of address. Bailey pleaded guilty through his attorney Mike Gleichauf.

Cooper sentenced Bailey to four years CCS and 30 days in the county jail.

•  Stephen Graham, 34, of 1843 County Road 69, Proctorville, pleaded guilty to fourth degree grand theft through his attorney Mike Gleichauf.

Cooper sentenced Graham to four years CCS/ISP, 30 days in jail, the STAR program and ordered him to pay $500 in restitution.

• Earl Nixon, 45, of 1735 Carolina St., Middletown, was arraigned on a bill of information of third-degree trafficking in drugs, fourth-degree aggravated trafficking in drugs and felonious assault and fifth-degree possession of drugs.

Nixon pleaded not guilty through his attorney Warren Morford.

• Cooper continued a $75,000 cash bond from a lower court and scheduled a pretrial for Aug. 8.

• Brandon Cooper, 23, of 95 Private Drive 175 County Road 26, Ironton, admitted a CCS violation. The judge sentenced Cooper to one year in prison.

• William Wilburn, 37, of 342 County Road 51, Pedro, failed his court-ordered drug test. Adult Probation Officer Jon Sexton said Wilburn tested positive for marijuana and benzodiazepines.

Cooper doubled Wilburn’s bond to $20,000 and scheduled a pretrial for Aug. 1.

• David Woodyard III, 19, of 213 Township Road 1163, Proctorville, failed his court-ordered drug test. Sexton said Woodyard tested positive for opiates and marijuana.

Cooper doubled Woodyard’s bond to $5,000 cash or surety and scheduled a pretrial for Aug. 1.

• Harry Norris, 22, of 405 Eden Lane, Pliny, W.Va., was indicted by the Lawrence County Grand Jury this week for one count of illegal assembly or possession of chemicals for the manufacture of drugs.