Trial set in fatal vehicular case
Published 10:13 am Tuesday, December 3, 2013
A Pedro man charged with aggravated vehicular homicide rejected his final plea offer from prosecutors and will be headed to trial next week.
Nathan Bloomfield, 28, of 12246 State Route 93, is set for a two-day trial on Dec. 12 and 13.
On Wednesday, Prosecuting Attorney Brigham Anderson offered the man a sentence of five years in prison in exchange for a guilty plea.
If Bloomfield is found guilty by a jury, he could face a maximum sentence of 11 years in prison.
The man previously entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity to the charge due to brain injuries sustained in the June 2012 vehicle accident that left his passenger dead.
He was evaluated for competency and it was determined that with treatment, Bloomfield would eventually be able to stand trial. A report was entered in the court records in March of this year that stated Bloomfield had been restored to competency after more than a month at Appalachian Behavior Healthcare in Athens.
Bloomfield is accused of driving a 1995 Ford Mustang without an operator’s license and with a blood alcohol level of .14. The accident occurred near the 12-mile marker on State Route 93 in Elizabeth Township.
Bloomfield and his passenger, John R. Markel, 62, also of Pedro, were ejected from the car. Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers said at the time neither man was wearing a seat belt.
Markel was pronounced dead at the scene by the Lawrence County Coroner’s office. Bloomfield was taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center.
In other cases:
• Paul Abram, 28, of 1707 S. Fourth St., Ironton, was arraigned on a charge of identity fraud, to which he pleaded not guilty. Judge D. Scott Bowling set bond at $10,000 own-recognizance and GPS monitoring and set a pretrial for Dec. 11.
• Kenneth Buskirk, 35, of 428 Washington Ave., Huntington, W.Va., was arraigned on a fourth-degree charge of grand theft, to which he pleaded guilty.
Bowling sentenced the man to 12 months in prison and ordered him to pay $1,257 in restitution.
• Shawn DeLong, 36, of 264 Private Road 349, Ironton, was arraigned on counts of fourth-degree grand theft and fifth-degree receiving stolen property, to which he pleaded not guilty.
Bowling set bond at $10,000 OR and $7,500 cash or surety and set a pretrial for Dec. 18.
• Dana Holly, 32, of 1818 Rear Oak St., Kenova, W.Va., was arraigned on a charge of fourth-degree complicity to grand theft, to which she pleaded guilty. Bowling sentenced the woman to 12 months in prison and ordered her to pay $1,257 in restitution.
• Brad Jenkins, 24, of 415 Neal Ave., Ironton, pleaded guilty to three counts of fifth-degree forgery. Bowling sentenced the man to four years community control sanctions, 200 hours community service and $533 in restitution.
• Blake Meadows, 21, of 2188 County Road 18, South Point, was arraigned on a bill of information of third-degree failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, to which he pleaded not guilty. Bowling set a pretrial for Jan. 8.
• David Morrison, 27, of 2328 County Road 30, Kitts Hill, admitted CCS violations and was sentenced to five months in prison.
• Jamie Salmons, 21, of 3455 Hugh St., Huntington, W.Va., admitted CCS violations and was sentenced to seven months in prison.
• Davon Tippett, 37, of 18456 Sussex St., Detroit, Mich., was arraigned on a fourth-degree charge of receiving stolen property, to which he pleaded not guilty.
Bowling set bond at $10,000 cash or surety and $10,000 OR and set a pretrial for Dec. 18.
• Gary Stephens, 45, of 461 Township Road 1055, Proctorville, was arraigned on four counts of fourth-degree trafficking in drugs, to which he pleaded not guilty. Bowling set bond at $20,000 OR, $5,000 cash or surety and GPS monitoring. A pretrial was set for Jan. 8, 2014.