Defendant agrees to evaluation in Corrections Center

Harrison News-Herald Reporter

CADIZ — The Harrison County Court of Common Pleas began on Tuesday, June 20, with a pre-trial for Heather Stevens. Stevens appeared via video call from the Jefferson County Justice Center.

She was originally indicted for a fifth-degree felony charge of possession of cocaine. The last time she was in court she was ordered to complete an Ohio Risk Assement. Her results for the ORAS shows her as a high risk for recidivism so she will need a high level of supervision.

“It is my understanding that the parties have had some discussion about resolution,” Judge Shawn Hervey said. “In order to finalize those discussions, it would be helpful to have an evaluation for the Eastern Ohio Corrections Center.”

He asked Stevens if that was what she wanted to do so that when she is brought back to court, she can be offered an agreement for resolution of her case. Stevens said she would submit to the EOCC evaluation.

Samuel Devore appeared via video call from JCJC. Devore was indicted in February with four third-degree felony counts of gross sexual imposition and four counts of

COUNTY COURT Criminal/Traffic Violations

• 27 speeding violations, two no fishing license, eight seatbelt violations, two no life jacket, one clear-distance violation, two failure to control, three driving under suspension, one registration violation, one markedlanes violation, one expired license, one reckless operation, one stop-sign violation, one willful/wontan operation, and one open container.

Recorder

June 12 - 16 , 2023 first-degree rape. He was also charged with four counts of sexual battery, three being felonies in the second degree and one in the third degree.

• Pamela S. Kinsey, et al, to CHIZ Properties LLC, Shortcreek Twp.

• Kristen L. Miller, et al, to Jacob R.K. Barr, et al, Cadiz Village.

• Michael G. Kovach Jr., et al, to Kelly Dale LLC, Washington Twp.

• Doubledown LLC to Kylie Cagot, et al, Washington Twp.

• Bonnie Kay Matusik to Dakota A. Beckley, et ux, Shortcreek Twp.

• Pettay Revocable Trust to Kayla R. Wilson, Scio Village.

• Reuben R. Byler Jr., et al, to Eli R. Byler, et al, Stock Twp.

• Betty J. Haas, dec’d, to Edward A. Haas, Monroe Twp. • Carl Ricketts, et ux, to Mako Properties LTD, Stock Twp.

• Michael Goodlan, et al, to Joseph McCann, et al, Cadiz Village.

Devore’s counsel, public defender Adrian Pincola, requested a continuance and further pretrial to continue discussions of a resolution. It is possible that Devore may end up having multiple trials, one for each of the three alleged victims.

Freeport resident Gregory Hammond appeared via video call from the Harrison County Jail for arraignment. Hammond was indicted on a felony-five drug abuse charge and two misdemeanors in the second degree: possession of

Public Record

• Linda Taylor, et al, to Engelsen LTD, Moorefield Twp.

• Brent D. Ager, et ux, to John Waid Jr., et ux, Scio Village.

• Robert J. Kenna, et al, to Fun and Gains LLC, Archer Twp.

• Eli R. Byler, et ux, to Henry L. Detweiler, et al, North Twp.

Marriage Applications

• Tatum Rayne Lewis, 20, Cadiz, and David Lowell Jones, 20, Cadiz

• Christopher Allen Hyde, 30, Cadiz, and Kayla Marie Best, 23, Cadiz.

• William Scott Kelley III, 24, Tippecanoe, and Isabel Gunther, 22, Tippecanoe.

Cadiz Police Department

• May 5 – Police received a report that a juvenile was going door to door asking for money for cheerleading, but the juvenile is not a cheerleader. An officer spoke with the juvenile and she said she had asked for money because her family had recently lost their food stamps and needed food. She said her father knew what she was doing and that she’d given him money for gas. The father was brought in and he said he hadn’t drug-abuse instruments and resisting arrest.

Previously, Hammond’s bond was set at $15,000 on June 15. Hammond asked about a discrepancy he found between the indictment and the warrant that had been issued for his arrest.

“On one it said misdemeanor of the first degree and on the other it said misdemeanor of the second degree,” Hammond explained.

Prosecuting attorney Lauren Knight explained further, “I think where Mr. Hammond is correct is the warrant he was served with does not have the right offenses. It lists possessing drug-abuse instruments and the F1, but it doesn’t list initially known what she was doing but eventually figured it out. He said she’d told him that she wanted the money to do things with her boyfriend and he’d accepted some cash from her.

SHERIFF’S OFFICE

• May 3 – A woman tried to get around a construction vehicle and ended up hitting a truck with the tail end of her car. She left the scene, but returned in a different vehicle. A deputy talked to the foreman on the site who said they had already gotten a call about paying for the damages to the woman’s vehicle. They requested a report be on file for insurance purposes. The deputy spoke with the woman who coroborated the foreman’s story.

• May 5 – A deputy sitting stationary observed a vehicle traveling above the posted speed limit and turned on their red and blue lights. The vehicle did not slow down and appeared to be trying to flee. Reaching 105 miles per hour in his patrol vehicle, the deputy was losing ground and chose to back off the chase for safety reasons. He continued trying to follow the vehicle and, with some help from concerned citizens pointing the right direction, located the vehicle off the road over a grassy embankment. The two occupants were ordered out of the car. The driver admitted he ran because he has a suspended license. The driver had a large sum of cash and a bottle of pills on his person. A search of the resisting arrest. The indictment is correct, it’s just the warrant.”

“Just because that warrant has some charges on it that are not correct,” Hervey told Hammond. “As long as one of the charges on the warrant is correct, you’re still subject to that warrant.”

Hammond understood the explanation and the trial continued with Hervey explaining Hammond’s consitutional rights before moving onto bond.

Knight pointed out that Hammond is currently serving time for a separate case and will not be out of jail until December. Because of this, the bond in this case is virtually inconsequential. Even if Hammond made bond, he would vehicle turned up more cash and 10 new THC vapes. The car had incorrect plates on it and it was eventually towed to the sheriff’s office. not be released from jail. Hevery decided to leave bond at $15,000.

• May 6 – A traffic stop was conducted on U.S. Route 250 after a deputy observed a vehicle with a defective license-plate light. The driver said the car was having electrical issues and that was a common occurrence. While speaking with the driver, the deputy allegedly smelled raw marijuana. He had the driver exit the vehicle and asked if there was any marijuana in the car. She said there wasn’t and that she didn’t smoke at all but her husband, the passenger, had smoked recently. The deputy asked the husband about it and he turned over a small baggie of marijuana. During a vehicle search, the deputy found another small bag of marijuana. Both baggies were destroyed at the scene. The driver was cited for the license-plate light and the husband was cited for possession.

• May 7 – A man was woken up by someone knocking on his door late at night. The visitor said he’d seen a gold GMC SUV hit the man’s car then take off from the scene. The visitor stated he had the incident on video from his dash cam and would forward it on to the man once the visitor got home. The man called law enforcement to report the incident. Deputies observed the man’s vehicle had been pushed almost 20 feet from its original position and there were gold plastic pieces from the suspect vehicle left on the ground. The man was told to send the sheriff’s office the dashcam video as soon as he has it.

• May 8 – A deputy on U.S. Route 250 was informed that a vehicle heading west was “all over the road” and that he should keep an eye out for it. The deputy saw the vehicle and noticed it was following too closely to the vehicle in front of it so he initiated a traffic stop. The driver, who had previous dealings with law enforcement, was acting nervous.

Joshua Lucas appeared for a brief update on his treatment in lieu of conviction program. Lucas is reportedly doing well, attending his appointments and on track to complete the program in December.

Lucas has some community service to finish and a few fines to deal with; however, Hervey encouraged him to stay on track, “It sounds like you’re on the right track. Keep up on your costs and fines, find some time to get that community service done. Summertime is a great time to do it because once it gets cold it’s harder to find it.”

The driver agreed to a pat down and eventually the deputy searched the vehicle as well. He found suspected marijuana, a meth pipe, and a handgun. The driver was concerned that because of his history, he would end up going back to jail. He was arrested.

• May 9 – A woman came to the office to report a scam. She had gotten messages from what appeared to be her brother’s Facebook account. The person told her that she could get money through the Department of Health and Human Services. The woman was suspicious early on that this was a scam. When the person told her she could get $150, but first had to pay $1,500, she realized that her brother’s account must have been hacked. At no point did she provide the scammer with personal information. She wanted a report to be on file, just in case there were further issues.

• May 9 – It was reported that a woman’s ex-boyfriend was allegedly throwing rocks at her house. A deputy responded and observed some rocks on the sidewalk but it wasn’t clear if they were involved. The deputy stayed in the area for some time but nothing happened.

• May 10 – Deputies were dispatched to a residence for a male refusing to leave the property. The woman at the house explained that the male had been threatening their children as well as threatening her life, earlier in the day. She had recently dismissed a protection order against him because he was homeless and she wanted to help him out. She had a recording of the threats he made and deputies listened to the video before determining they would be arresting the male for domestic violence. The male admitted he had made threats and was taken into custody. The woman said she would be pursuing a protection order once more.

• May 12 – Deputies have been repeatedly finding cattle loose on the roadway in Freeport. The owner of the cattle has been warned many times about this and claims his fence has been cut and that’s why they continue to get out of his yard. Deputies have found no evidence of a cut fence at this time.

• May 13 – A domestic disturbance brought d eputies out to Tippecanoe. It had been reported that a woman was fighting with her husband and the woman had lit their yard on fire with gasoline. The fire department was called and deputies arrived on scene, making contact with the husband. The husband said his wife was allegedly “on drugs and acting crazy.” He said they fight regularly and he usually just leaves to another residence when they do. After some time, deputies were able to make contact with the woman who stated she had been asleep the entire time. She eventually admitted to setting the yard on fire but claimed it was an accident. She said she didn’t want any help and that she wasn’t going to harm herself. Neither party wanted to write a statement about the incident. The fire was extinguished and first responders cleared the scene.

• May 17 – A man came to the office to report damage to his mailbox. He filled out a written statement and said he wanted a report done for documentation purposes. At this time, there is no suspect.

• May 19 – A deputy observed a vehicle traveling approximately 65 mph in a 55-mph zone. The truck drove down the center of two lanes and swerved back and forth. Suspecting the driver was intoxicated, the deputy initiated a traffic stop. During the initial interaction with the driver, the deputy allegedly smelled alcohol and burnt marijuana. The driver admitted to having “two beers” in Urichsville. When asked if there was anything illegal in the car, the driver said there wasn’t. The driver was asked out of the vehicle for field sobriety testing, which he agreed to perform. During a pat down, a small tin with a