Sentencing is set for March 2

One of the men accused of breaking into the Ironton WesBanco on the corner of South Fifth and Vernon streets in August of last year pleaded guilty Wednesday morning in front of Lawrence County Common Pleas Judge Charles Cooper.

Richard Fooce, 23, of Fout’s Group Home, 802 S. Seventh St., Ironton, pleaded guilty to breaking and entering, a fifth-degree felony, after previously being found incompetent to stand trial in October and completing treatment to restore his mental competency.

Fooce, along with Austin Sexton, 20, of the same address, broke into the bank during the early morning hours of Saturday, Aug. 8, 2015. Ironton Police Detective Joe Ross said an anonymous phone call tip claiming to know who the two men were led to the arrests. Glass in the bank’s back door was found broken when police arrived on the scene as well as the security alarm being set off from the break-in. Ross said that the two men ransacked the bank, although no money was believed to be taken.

Judge D. Scott Bowling sentenced Sexton to six months in prison after he pleaded guilty to fifth-degree breaking and entering in November. Cooper set sentencing for Fooce on March 2.

In unrelated cases:

• Darrell Kearns, 34, of 1126 County Road 62, Willow Wood, pleaded guilty to theft, a fifth-degree felony. Bowling sentenced him to eight months in prison with three years post release control.

• Kimberly Duncan, 37, of 453 Pine Hill Estates Road, Kenova, West Virginia, pleaded guilty to a fifth-degree felony count of possession. Bowling sentenced her to four years community controlled sanctions with intensive supervised probation with 11 months reserved. She was also ordered to complete a drug treatment program and 200 hours of community service as well as a six-month license suspension.

• Joseph Earwood, 32, of 1719 Prospect Ave., Ashland, Kentucky, pleaded not guilty to receiving stolen property, a fifth-degree felony. Bowling set pretrial for March 23.

• David Dodds, 36, of Township Road 1501, pleaded guilty to possession of heroin, a fifth-degree felony. Bowling set sentencing for March 23.

• Delmar Jenkins, 27, of 900B High Street, Coal Grove, previously pleaded not guilty to three fifth-degree felony counts of trafficking in heroin. The state recommended 33 months in prison. Bowling set the next hearing for March 16.

• Crystal Lewis, 34, of 1405 S. Fourth St., Ironton, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to a fourth-degree felony count of theft of a motor vehicle, a third-degree felony count of failure to comply and resisting arrest, a second-degree misdemeanor. Bowling ordered her to receive a mental evaluation before moving forward.

• Monica Werkheiser, 31, of 97 Township Road 1069, South Point, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft, fifth-degree felonies. Cooper sentenced her to four years community controlled sanctions with intensive supervised probation with 11 months reserved.

• Richard Smith, 61, of 618 N. Sixth St., Ironton, previously pleaded guilty to trafficking in drugs, a third-degree felony. Cooper sentenced him to three years in prison with credit for time served.

• William Yapp, 49, of 9371 County Road 1, South Point, and co-defendant Robert Duty, 51, of the same address, each previously pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking in heroin, a second-degree felony. Cooper sentenced each man to four years in prison.

• Joseph Brooks, 49, of 2666 James River Road, Huntington, West Virginia, pleaded guilty to one third-degree felony count of burglary and one fifth-degree felony count of possession of drugs. Cooper sentenced him to 11 months in prison for possession and three years in prison for burglary to run concurrently, for a total of three years in prison. He also received three years post release control for each count to run concurrently.

• Jessica Williams, 26, of 1632 Ohio Street, Detroit, Michigan, pleaded guilty to one third-degree felony count of trafficking in drugs and one third-degree felony count of tampering with evidence. Cooper set sentencing for March 9, although it may be at a later date due to personal matters.

• Joseph Willis pleaded guilty to one fifth-degree felony count of possession of a controlled substance. Bowling set sentencing for Feb. 24.

Other cases involving Joseph Sharp, Donald Spears, Janie Francis and David Barker have all been continued.