Drug issues continue to dominate court dockets

Wallace D. Spence, 57, of Ashland, Kentucky, pleaded guilty to rape of a juvenile, a felony of the first degree, in Judge Charles Cooper’s courtroom on Wednesday.

Spence, who was indicted by a grand jury on July 19, appeared before Cooper on an arraignment Wednesday morning, but chose to forego further hearings and a trial and enter a plea of guilty to the charges that he compelled a juvenile “by force or threat of force” to engage in sexual conduct.

Spence was sentenced to 11 years in prison and will be forced to register as a tier three sex-offender.

In other action in Cooper’s courtroom on Wednesday, Timothy E. Powell, 47, of South Point, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to charges of possession of methamphetamine, breaking and entering, and attempted burglary, and was ordered to undergo a competency evaluation.

Anneimika Walters, 39, of London, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine, and was sentenced to seven months in prison.

James A. Willis, 31, of Ironton, tested positive for methamphetamine before appearing on charges of possession of methamphetamine, and had his bond changed from own recognizances to a $10,0000 cash or surety bond, and had his pretrial rescheduled for next week.

Richard L. Sharp, 54, of Ironton, had his sentencing delayed until Thursday. Sharp pleaded guilty to charges of trafficking in methamphetamine on Aug. 2.

In Judge Andrew Ballard’s courtroom, drug issues dominated the docket, highlighting the addiction problems that continue to plague our region. However, Ballard and Prosecutor Brigham Anderson’s office were also able to highlight the potential to overcome those issues with innovative sentencing and treatment options.

Shirley V. Turvey, 33, of Pedro, provides one such example. Turvey pleaded guilty on Wednesday to possession of morphine sulphate, a felony of the fifth degree, and was sentenced to intervention in lieu of conviction after determining she met eligibility for that program. As part of her plea agreement, Turvey will remain under the supervision of community control for one year, complete 200 hours of community service, and was ordered to complete an in-patient program at Mended Reeds.

Ballard emphasized to Turvey the importance of abstaining from all drug and alcohol for a period of one year, while under the supervision of community control. Turvey will remain incarcerated until reporting to Mended Reeds. If she successfully completes her treatment in lieu of conviction program, Turvey may petition the court to seal her conviction.

Lisa F. Cartwright, 39, of South Point, was also ordered to complete a program at Mended Reeds. Cartwright pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine and failure to appear charges in a negotiated plea that nullified charges of possession of focalin.

Cartwright was sentenced to four years of community control sanctions on each charge, to run concurrently. In addition, she must complete 200 hours of community service and complete a program at Mended Reeds. Because failure to appear charges must run consecutively, instead of concurrently, Cartwright has a total of 28 months of prison time reserved if she fails to meet the terms of her plea deal, with 17 months on the failure to appear charge and 11 months on the possession charge.

Ladonna Delaney, 43, of Ashland, pleaded guilty to an F5 charge of possession of methamphetamine, and was sentenced to four years of community control sanctions and six months in the Lawrence County Jail. That time will run concurrently with any time Delaney spends in jail in Kentucky, on other charges.

Joshua D. Mullens, 30, of Ironton, pleaded guilty to charges of tampering with evidence, a felony of the third degree, and possession of methamphetamine, a felony of the fifth degree, and was sentenced to 18 months on count one and 11 months on the second count, to run concurrently, for a total of 18 months.

Nancy Delong, 50, of Naugatuck, West Virginia, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine, and was sentenced to four years of community control sanctions and six months in the Lawrence County Jail.

Delong, and Douglas Banner, 52, of Columbus, each waived any concerns about conflict of interest in having defender Scott Evans appointed to represent them both.

Banner pleaded not guilty to charges of possession of cocaine and had bond set at $25,000 own recognizances and $7,500 cash or surety.

Derik J. Berry, 21, of Ironton, admitted to CCS violations and was sentenced to eight months in prison.

Mark E. Gaspers, Jr., 35, of Ironton, denied violating the terms of his CCS, and had trial set for Aug. 23.

Jason M. Hudson, 43, of Chesapeake, admitted to CCS violations. He had bond set at $25,000 own recognizances and GPS monitoring, and will return for sentencing on Aug. 30.

George O’Day, 46, of Chesapeake, admitted to his CCS violations and was ordered to complete 200 hours of community service, a program at STAR Community Justice Center, and had his community control sanctions extended by one year.

Charles F. Schob, 46, of Ironton, pleaded not guilty to charges of trafficking in heroin and complicity to trafficking in heroin, and had bond set at $50,000 own recognizances and GPS monitoring. Trial is set for Sept. 28.

Christopher D. Sowards, 30, of Huntington, West Virginia, denied his CCS violations and had his trial set for Aug. 23.

Joseph D. Whaley, 27, of Ironton, pleaded not guilty to charges of misdemeanor assault, and had bond set at $25,000 cash or surety.

Joseph Whitmore, 37, of Proctorville, admitted to CCS violations and was sentenced to 30 months in prison, with potential for judicial release after 11 months.

Joshua S. Clagg, 39, of Proctorville, appeared on charges of F2 burglary, and had his trial set for Sept. 14 – 15, with final offer on Aug. 30.

Danny J. Martin, 61, of South Point, pleaded guilty to two counts of trafficking in methamphetamine, felonies of the fourth degree, in a deal that nullified two charges of trafficking in heroin. Martin was sentenced to 10 months on each charge, to run consecutively, for a total of 20 months. This is in addition to 20 months received in Judge

Charles Cooper’s courtroom on June 21, for CCS violations, to run consecutively, for a total of 40 months in prison. Martin was not eligible for any time served on Ballard’s sentence, because that time had already been applied to the CCS sentence in Cooper’s courtroom.