Summons issued for indicted businessman Published by news@presspubli. on Fri, 02/26/2021 - 4:00pm
By:
Larry Limpf
A nationwide warrant issued for the arrest of Ralph E. Slaske, Jr., 47, who has been indicted in Wood County Common Pleas Court on several charges stemming from how he operated his construction businesses, has been withdrawn. The court last week approved the withdrawal and then authorized the issuance of a summons for Slaske to appear in court Feb. 26. Court records list a Charleston, South Carolina address for Slaske. The summons was issued to Slaske through a Toledo attorney. Authorities allege Slaske defrauded customers, banks, subcontractors and others involved in the construction industry.
Wood County: Grand jury issues indictments for rape, murder Published by news@presspubli. on Mon, 02/22/2021 - 11:17am
By:
Larry Limpf
A Lake Township man is scheduled for arraignment Feb. 23 in Wood County Common Pleas Court after being indicted by a county grand jury on 30 counts of kidnapping, felonious assault and rape. The charges against Steven M. Finch, 47, stem from alleged repeated sexual assaults against his wife. The alleged rapes occurred every month from August 2019 to November 2020. Specifications alleging Finch is a sexually violent predator are also included with the charges. In a press release, Paul Dobson, county prosecutor, said that due to the nature of the offenses and the sexually violent predator specification, 19 of the 30 charges carry with them a sentence of life imprisonment without possible parole.
Vehicle arson conviction reversed
By:
Larry Limpf
The conviction of a woman for the 2019 arson of a vehicle at a hotel on Oregon Road in Northwood has been reversed by the Ohio Sixth District Court of Appeals. Brooke Marie Maxcy-Tipton had been convicted in Wood County Common Pleas Court of a fourth-degree felony charge to which she had pled guilty and was sentenced to community control and to register as an arson offender. In her appeal, Maxcy-Tipton argued her legal counsel during the trial was ineffective and the state’s arson registry statute is unconstitutional. Ohio’s arson offender registry statute requires that an offender register annually with a county sheriff unless the trial court limits the registration requirement to more than the mandatory 10-year minimum but less than the lifetime obligation.
Fulton Common Pleas
Joel Fortier, 41, Napoleon, appeared for sentencing on a charge of menacing by stalking, a fourth-degree felony. He was given a 16-month prison term with credit for 113 days served in jail while his case was pending. The charge alleged that on March 9 he caused another person to believe he would cause physical harm or mental distress. An additional charge of menacing by stalking, a fourth-degree felony, was dismissed.
Rekia Flower, 20, Chicago, appeared for sentencing on a charge of counterfeiting, a fourth-degree felony. She was given a 12-month prison term to run concurrent with a 12-month prison term imposed in Wood County Common Pleas Court on three counts of counterfeiting, each a fourth-degree felony. She was convicted of passing counterfeit money on March 13.