MOUNT VERNON — Indictments were returned in 13 cases on May 5 by a Knox County Grand Jury for various felony crimes. Arraignments are scheduled for May 23 at 9 a.m. in the Knox County Court of Common Pleas before Judge Otho Eyster.
According to Knox County Prosecutor John Thatcher, Gerald W. Doup, 59, Salem Road, Fredericktown, is accused of illegal cultivation of marijuana. The indictment also contains a forfeiture specification alleging that the $3,092 in cash seized at Doup’s residence was intended to be used to operate an indoor marijuana growing operation located in a barn Doup rented, on Salem Road. Thatcher said on April 17, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office Tactical Response Unit raided the barn and seized over 900 marijuana plants and equipment used to grow marijuana. Detective Sgt. Gary Rohler, KCSO, investigated the case with the assistance of the Central Ohio Drug Enforcement Task Force.
Cameron Q. Geckle, 18, Crabapple Drive, Howard, faces three counts of burglary for allegedly breaking into separate residences in Apple Valley, on March 28, April 9 and 10. Geckle allegedly stole televisions and computers from the homes. Rohler investigated the case.
Richard L. Johnson, 24, Biggs Road, Howard, allegedly engaged in sexual conduct with a 14-year-old girl, on or about May 5, 2005. Johnson is charged with unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. Detective David Light, KCSO, investigated the case.
Brian K. Rose, 36, Wooster Road, Mount Vernon, was indicted for domestic violence for allegedly striking his girlfriend in the face, on April 20. Thatcher said, when Deputy Ryan Burgess, KCSO, responded to the domestic call, he allegedly observed that Rose’s girlfriend had a bloody nose and black and blue eyes. According to the indictment, Rose was convicted of domestic violence in 2006 making the new charge a felony.
Cynthia M. Perry, 46, Owl Creek Church Road, Mount Vernon, and Gary E. Sunkle, 38, Chester Street, Mount Vernon, face multiple charges of deception to obtain dangerous drugs, in separate cases investigated by Deputy Tom Durbin, KCSO. Thatcher said it is alleged that Perry saw six doctors to get at least nine overlapping Clonazepam prescriptions and Sunkle saw 13 doctors to get at least 11 overlapping Oxycodone prescriptions. In both cases it is also alleged that none of the doctors knew their patients were seeing other doctors to get overlapping prescriptions for the same drugs.
John K. Hutchison, 55, Crystal Avenue, Mount Vernon, is charged with his sixth driving while intoxicated offense in 20 years making the new alleged offense a felony. Thatcher said, on April 21, at approximately 3:05 a.m., Trooper Paul Shore, Ohio State Highway Patrol, stopped Hutchison’s vehicle for not using a turn signal on Ohio 95 at Lucerne Road. Shore determined that Hutchison was under the influence of alcohol after administering field sobriety tests.
Douglas L. Morris, 46, Upper Gilchrist Road, Mount Vernon, is accused of possessing cocaine. The indictment also contains a forfeiture specification for the $492 in cash seized from Morris, on April 25, when he was arrested during a drug operation conducted by Detective Sgt. Jeff Jacobs, Detective Cpl. Matt Dailey and Detective Craig Feeney, Mount Vernon Police Department.
Joshua A. Pruitt, 25, faces one count of breaking and entering for allegedly breaking into a business on North Sandusky Street, Mount Vernon, on March 13. While inside the business, Pruitt allegedly stole firearms, chainsaws, a flashlight and a leaf blower. Jacobs, MVPD, investigated the case.
On April 3, Glenn A. Royster, 59, West High Street, Mount Vernon, allegedly stole a credit card and three convenience checks from his landlady’s purse, and then he used the credit card to make purchases and the checks to make deposits into his own bank account. Thatcher said Feeney, MVPD, obtained surveillance video from a Columbus pharmacy where Royster allegedly used the credit card. Royster is also accused of forgery.
The indictment filed against Larry D. Davis Jr., 35, Douglas Avenue, Mansfield, contains three theft charges totaling over $2,500 in merchandise allegedly taken from two Mount Vernon department stores, in February, March and April. The stolen merchandise includes tools, a computer and other electronics. Feeney, MVPD, investigated the case.
Scott A. Wilson, 31, North Sandusky Street, Mount Vernon, is accused of failing to provide adequate financial support for his 12-year-old daughter. Thatcher said during the last two years, Wilson allegedly made only one child support payment of $236, in October 2006. Wilson’s arrearage going back to 1997 when he was originally court ordered to pay child support exceeds $4,500.
Max R. Erwin Jr., Cornish Road, Howard, is charged with 12 certificate of motor vehicle title offenses and three counts of conspiracy to commit theft by deception. According to the indictment, between Sept. 22 and Dec. 31, 2007, Erwin allegedly failed to transfer the titles to 12 motor vehicles he sold at his Mount Vernon automobile dealership. Thatcher said a certificate of motor vehicle title offense is a felony that carries a county jail sentence of six months to one year and a fine of up to $5,000. The theft by deception charges allege that Erwin kept $9,500 he received from three customers who did not get their motor vehicle titles. The case was investigated by a BMV Investigator employed by the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
