Ottawa County grand jury indicts 25
Twenty five people have been indicted by an Ottawa County grand jury on charges that include theft, child endangering, domestic violence, rape and drug-related crimes.
According to a news release from Ottawa County Prosecutor James VanEerten, the recent grand jury session resulted in the following indictments:
• Daniel Kitzler, Jr., on one count each of failure to register and child endangering. Kitzler, who is a registered sex offender, is accused of changing his address earlier this year without notifying the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office. The charge is a first-degree felony due to the underlying conviction for which Kitzler is required to register.
Kitzler is currently serving a prison sentence in the Lorain Correctional Facility.
• Amanda Cooper, of Curtice, on multiple drug-related felony charges, along with a charge of tampering with evidence. According to reports, agents from the Ottawa County Drug Task Force, along with deputies from the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office, searched Cooper’s home last month and found methamphetamine, as well as drug abuse instruments and paraphernalia.
• James E. Moore IV, of Port Clinton, on felony counts of abduction and disrupting public services, as well as misdemeanor counts of domestic violence and child endangering. According to reports from the Port Clinton Police Department, Moore was allegedly involved in a domestic dispute during which the victim was restrained from leaving.
• Letasha Mowel, of Port Clinton, on one count of child endangering. Officers from the Port Clinton Police Department allegedly found her intoxicated and unable to adequately supervise a child in her care in September. The charge is a fourth-degree felony due to Mowel’s prior conviction for child endangering.
• Steven Alexander, of Port Clinton, on two felony counts of theft. According to reports from the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office, Alexander took several thousand dollars from a business over a period of nearly three years.
• George Hurrell III on two counts of domestic violence. He allegedly caused physical harm to two family members last month. The charges are fourth-degree felonies due to Hurrell’s prior domestic violence conviction.
• Daniel E. Pribe Jr., on one count each of menacing by stalking and violating a protection order, both felonies. Pribe is accused of contacting a person who obtained a protection order against him. The indictment also alleges that Pribe has previously been convicted of violating an order of protection.
• Ronald L. Harper, on one count of rape, a first-degree felony. According to reports from the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office, Harper allegedly engaged in sexual conduct with a minor under the age of 10 in 2016. The charge carries a potential penalty of life imprisonment.
• Thomas Cook, on three counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. He allegedly engaged in sexual conduct with a minor under the age of 16 earlier this year.
• James Goldick Sr. on one count of vandalism. He allegedly caused over $1,000 of damage to a Carroll Township campground in August.
• Cody Habel on three counts of rape, all first-degree felonies. The indictment specifies that Habel allegedly engaged in sexual conduct with a minor under the age of 10 on three occasions over a two-year period.
• Diane Behlmer on five counts of grand theft and one count each of safecracking and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. She allegedly stole several firearms from a Carroll Township residence last month.
• Matthew Shiffert, of Graytown, on 75 felony charges relating to child pornography. According to reports from the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office, hundreds of pornographic images of children were found on Shiffert’s computer earlier this year.
• Randy L. Adams, Jr., of Curtice, on one count of tampering with evidence. He allegedly altered, concealed or destroyed evidence in a felony investigation being conducted by the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office in June.
• Jamey Rich, Summer Highfill, and Miguel Popoca, all of Port Clinton, each on felony charges of theft, complicity to theft and receiving stolen property. Rich, who was employed by a Port Clinton business, allegedly took lottery tickets from the business and gave them to the others.
Hurrell, Pribe, Harper, Habel, Behlmer and Cook are all being held at the Ottawa County Detention Facility.
Several individuals were charged with felony drug offenses, according to the news release:
• Timothy Johnson, one count of complicity to traffic heroin.
• Troy Blevins, one count of possession of heroin.
• Catherine Holbrook, one count of trafficking heroin.
• Shawn Cook, one count each of possession of Oxycodone and permitting drug abuse.
• Maria Rangel, one count of trafficking Oxycodone.
• Jason Beavo, one count of possession of heroin.
• Ruben Badillo, one count if trafficking oxycodone.
• Johnathan Torres, three counts of trafficking heroin.
Summonses were issued for Moore, Godick, Mowel, Rich, Highfili, and Popoca. They are scheduled to make their initial appearances in the Ottawa County Court of Common Pleas on Nov. 29. Warrants were issued for all other defendants.
VanEerten added that an indictment is a formal charge returned by a grand jury and does not denote guilt or innocence.
Published by www.portclintonnewsherald.com