Rejects deal, faces up to 13 years in prison

Sometimes you just have to take a chance, and that is exactly what Jackie L. Miller did in Judge Charles Cooper’s court on Wednesday morning.

Miller, 55 of Ironton, rejected the state’s final offer, which would have had him out of jail in six to seven months, with credit for time already served. Instead, he could face up to 13 years in prison if convicted by a jury on all four counts.

The state had offered to nullify three of Miller’s charges if he would plead guilty to the fourth. The charges that would be nullified included charges of F2 burglary, F3 tampering with evidence, and F5 misuse of a credit card. Those charges would have been dropped if Miller agreed to plead guilty to a charge of receiving stolen property, an F5 offense.

The charge of receiving stolen property carries a sentence of nine months, but with credit for time served, Miller was looking at release in around six months.

In other action in Cooper’s courtroom, Maurice A. Cooper, 39, of Farrell, Pennsylvania, was arraigned and pleaded not guilty to charges of possession of cocaine, trafficking in cocaine, trafficking in methamphetamine, possessing a weapon under disability, and possession of criminal tools. His pretrial was set for June 14.

Robert A. Duty, 53, of South Point, changed his plea, and pleaded guilty to all five of the counts against him. Duty was charged with two counts of F4 trafficking in heroin, one count of F2 trafficking in heroin, one count of F5 trafficking in cocaine, and one count of F4 trafficking in Oxycontin.

Robert Goldsby, 29, of Ironton, pleaded guilty to F2 burglary and was released on $50,000 own recognizances bond, with sentencing set for next week.

Richard S. Thompson, 35, of Chesapeake, was arraigned and pleaded not guilty to charges of trafficking in heroin, possession of heroin, trafficking in methamphetamine, and possession of methamphetamine.

Thompson was released on $50,000 own recognizances bond and had his pretrial set for three weeks out.

In Judge Andrew Ballard’s courtroom, Homer W. Anson, 29, of Ironton, pleaded guilty to F3 domestic violence. Sentencing in the case will be delayed for another two weeks. Anson asked the court for release until sentencing, so that he may do contracting work to pay his court costs and child support.

Ballard told Anson that while the “state is against release… the judge has been more lenient,” however he noted that Anson’s crime was a “violent crime.”

Because of this, Ballard did allow release, but on the stipulation that Anson be fitted with, and pay the costs for, a GPS ankle monitoring.

This was in addition to a $75,000 OR bond. Ballard also ordered Anson to have “no contact, direct or indirect, with the victim.”

Also in Ballard’s courtroom on Wednesday, Michael S. Gore, 30, of Ironton, admitted to his CCS violation and was sentenced to 30 days in jail, to complete a program at Riverside Treatment after completing jail time, and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service.

Charles R. Hall, Jr., 29, of Ironton, admitted to his CCS violation as well, and will be sentenced next week.

The state is recommending eight months. Hall will be released on $25,000 own recognizance bond and a GPS ankle monitor until then.

Aaron D. Martin, 27, of Ironton, also admitted to his CCS violation, and was sentenced to 120 days in prison.

Jalen M. White, 21, of South Point, reached an agreement with the prosecutor where count two, a DUI, was nullified in exchange for a guilty plea to count one, trafficking in marijuana. White was sentenced to four years of CCS with ISP, with 11months reserved, to forfeit $1,018 seized at time of arrest, and to submit to GPS ankle monitoring and weekly drug testing until reporting to STAR.

Danny Sellards, 35, of South Point, and Christopher Strait, 45 of Ironton, both pleaded not guilty. Sellards was released on $25,000 cash or surety bond, and had his pretrial scheduled for next week. Strait was released on $10,000 cash or surety bond, $25,000 own recognizances, and GPS monitoring.