Displaying items by tag: Summit County Common Pleas Court

Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Alison McCarty and her husband are self-quarantined for the next two weeks after returning from Italy late last month. Hear her talk more about that with the Ray Horner Morning Show: 

A Summit County judge has ordered another psychiatric evaluation at an outside facility of accused Akron arsonist and murderer Stanley Ford. 

News 5 is reporting that Ford, who was initially uncooperative with his legal team, was previously evaluated by a court psychologist and that the results were inconclusive. 

Ford, set three different fires in his Fultz St. neighborhood in Akron, two of them deadly. The first deadly fire in 2016 left two people dead, while the second deadly fire in 2017 killed seven, including five children. 

Earlier this week, according to the report, Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Christine Croce ordered Ford be sent to Twin Valley Behavioral Healthcare's facility in Columbus for evaluation of whether or not he is competent to stand trial. 

Jury selection was supposed to begin Tuesday, August 6th, but is likely delayed given the new psychiatric evaluation order. 

An Akron man will spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of rape, according to the Summit County Prosecutor's Office.

Back in October, Raymond Smiley pled guilty to raping his girlfriend's young daughter on two separate occassions.

Common Pleas Court Judge Christine Croce sentenced Smiley, who isn't eligible for parole for 20 years, on Tuesday.

See the full press release from the Prosecutor's Office below: 

Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh announced today that Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Christine Croce sentenced Raymond Smiley, 39, of McGowan Street in Akron, to LIFE IN PRISON for raping a young girl.

On October 23, 2018 Smiley pled guilty to the following charges:

• Two Counts of Rape – Felonies of the 1st degree

Smiley admitted to raping his girlfriend’s young daughter on two separate occasions. 

“What this defendant did was horrifying. I am very grateful he will spend a significant amount of time in prison where he won’t be able to hurt innocent young girls,” said Prosecutor Walsh. “The survivor and her mother showed tremendous strength in standing up to him. My prosecutors and victim advocates did an outstanding job in getting justice.” 

Smiley will be eligible for parole after serving 20 years in prison.

Judge Croce also designated Smiley a Tier III sex offender. If he is released from prison, Smiley will have to register with the local sheriff every 90 days for the rest of his life.

Darnell Bitting, 32, of Akron will spend the rest of his life in prison for the shooting death of 4-year-old Janaya Swain back in February outside his Akron home.

Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Christine Croce handed down the sentence Wednesday, adding that Bitting will not be eligible for parole for 56 and a half years. Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh said in a statement that the "hope is that (the) sentence brings Janaya's family some peace." 

See the full press release from Summit County Prosecutor Bevan Walsh's office below: 

Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh announced today that Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Christine Croce sentenced Darnell Bitting, 32 of Georgia Street in Akron, to life in prison for the shooting death of 4-year-old Janaya Swain. Bitting will be eligible for parole after serving 56 ½ years.

 On Friday, October 5, 2018 a Summit County jury found Bitting guilty of the following charges:

• Two counts of Murder with Firearm Specifications – special felonies
• Six counts of Felonious Assault with Firearm Specifications – felonies of the 2nd degree 

“This tragedy will leave its mark for years to come. Four-year-old Janaya was full of life and always there to help a friend. She will be sorely missed,” said Prosecutor Walsh. “We are pleased to know the man responsible for her death will never again have the chance to hurt an innocent life. Our hope is that today’s sentence brings Janaya’s family some peace.”

At around 10:30pm on February 16, 2018, De’Azha Swain pulled up to a home on Mercer Avenue in Akron to retrieve some personal items. Four young girls, ages two, four, six, and seven, and their grandmother were also inside the vehicle. De’Azha got into an argument with Darnell Bitting, who was inside the home at the time. Bitting came out of the home with an AK-47 and fired the weapon. A shot struck and killed four-year-old Janaya Swain.

Darren Townsend, 38, of Akron, pleaded guilty to two counts of trafficking in persons, six counts of promoting prostitution, three counts of compelling prostitution, and one count of corrupting another with drugs. He was facing up to 38 years in prison if he were convicted on all of the charges he was facing, but after his guilty plea, was sentenced to 14 years by Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Amy Corrigall Jones. 

According to the Beacon Journal, Noah Munyer, Townsend's attorney told the paper, "He decided the risk of a jury verdict was too much." 

Pearl Coffey, 35, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of attempted trafficking in persons, compelling prostitution, and one count of corrupting another with drugs. She has not yet been sentenced. 

One of the victims, who was 17-years-old at the time, told the court that Townsend would pick her up from high school and take to several different locations throughout Akron where she would have sex for money. 

Albert Wade, 46, of Akron was sentenced to 7 years in prison on Thursday in connection to a shooting outside of an Akron convenience store that left a man wounded back in May.

Court records show that on May 14th, Wade was approached by a man who was asking for money. The two argued, Wade went to his car, came back with a gun, and shot the man.

Wade pleaded guilty and was sentenced immediately by Common Pleas Court Judge Christine Croce.

See the full press release from Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh below: 

AKRON, Ohio (Thursday, September 12, 2018) – Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh announced today that Albert Wade, 46, of Charles Street in Akron, pled guilty to shooting another man who was standing outside an Akron convenience store. 

Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Christine Croce immediately sentenced Wade to seven years in prison. 

Wade pled guilty to the following charges:

• Felonious Assault with a Firearm Specification – a felony of the 2nd degree
• Having Weapons Under Disability – a felony of the 3rd degree

On May 14, 2018, Wade was approached by a man asking for money outside a convenience store on East Exchange Street in Akron. The two began to argue. Wade went to his vehicle, then went back to the man and shot him. The victim, a 49-year-old Akron man, was shot in the shoulder and survived.

Former Akron Fire Department Union Treasurer Joseph Ruhlin, 41, has pled guilty to embezzling nearly half-a-million dollars from the Union while he was in charge of the funds, according to a release from Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh's office. 

Ruhlin, who was treasurer of the department's Union Local 330 from January of 2011 through March of 2017, admitted to stealing about $500,000 during his time in office. 

When he was charged with Theft in Office, Ruhlin fled Akron to North Carolina. Authorities eventually caught up with him and he was extradited back to Summit County.

Ruhlin, who is charged with Theft in Office and Tampering with Records, both 3rd degree felonies, is due in Summit County Common Pleas Court on March 13, 2018 at 1 p.m. for a restitution hearing and is scheduled to me sentenced by Common Pleas Court Judge Alison Breaux immediately following. 

Summit County Common Pleas Court has partnered with Greenleaf Family Center, to provides addiction and mental health assessments for low-risk criminal offenders, in an effort to steer them into intervention and recovery--instead of jail.

Judge Amy Corrigall Jones explains, ""If you address the underlying issues, albeit drugs and alcohol, mental illness, or intellectual disabilities; ultimately, you're going to reduce recidivism, poor decision making, and reduce crime. In the end, that will save our taxpayers money".