A Leesburg woman was sentenced to a total of 24 months in prison in Highland County Common Pleas Court on two separate counts of heroin possession and failure to appear.
Kayla Valentine, 29, was sentenced to 10 months for heroin possession, a fifth-degree felony, ordered sequentially to her 14-month sentence for non-appearance, a fourth-degree felony, at the Ohio Reformatory for Women . Court records show that Valentine received 68 days in prison for the first case, but zero days for the second case.
According to court documents for the first case, police issued a search warrant on or about March 12, 2020 at a residence on North Street in Greenfield. When they entered the property, the police saw Valentine sitting on a couch in the living room. A plastic bag of white powder was found in a bag next to Valentine on the couch. The bag also had a notebook marked “Kayla.” The white powder substance was submitted to BCI for analysis and was found to contain heroin.
According to court documents for the second case, on or about June 16, 2020, Valentine was charged in Highland County Common Pleas Court, after which she was arraigned on July 28, 2020 and given an OK bail for that particular case, which Valentine signed. The court advised her on which dates she should appear. Valentine failed to show up for a hearing on September 4, 2020, which was required by the court as a condition of her bail.
In other convictions, Tara Adams, 50, Bainbridge, was sentenced to 12 months in prison on one count for failing to appear, a fourth-degree felony.
According to court documents, Adams recklessly failed to appear as required, on or about November 18, 2021, in Highland County Common Pleas Court, after being released on charges of committing a felony.
Kristi Murphy, 41, Hillsboro, was sentenced to three years of community control on a charge of theft from a person in a protected classroom, a fourth-degree felony. Court records stated she was sentenced to 30 days in the Highland County Jail and that if Murphy violates any of the community control sanctions, she would face a six to 18-month sentence and pay a $5,000 fine.
According to court documents, on February 5, 2022, two people reported to the Highland County Sheriff’s Office that money was missing from one of their checking accounts. They told a sheriff’s deputy they were checking their bank statements and found multiple transactions from the month of January that they did not approve.
A relative of the victim told a sheriff’s deputy they’d determined $1,824.64 was missing from the bill in five transactions. Four of the transactions took place at Walmart for a total of $1,636.44. The other transaction was with Kroger for $188.20. The transactions were made with three checks from the victim. A deputy sheriff asked the victim what people had access to their checkbook, and they said the only person they could think of was a friend of a relative, Murphy, according to court records.
The victim indicated that a few days before Christmas of 2021, Murphy went to the victim’s home on Fascination Way and asked to use their typewriter. The victim indicated that Murphy was in the residence unattended on this particular occasion and had access to their wallet and checkbook while the victim was in the bathroom, court records state.
After the deputy received statements and bank documents from the two who originally reported the incident, they went to the Hillsboro Walmart and spoke to the asset protection store employee. The employee traced one of the three checks to a transaction that occurred on January 1, 2022, in the amount of $423.38. The employee also linked the transaction to a specific cashier and got video footage of it. The footage describes a transaction involving a “small, dark-haired, middle-aged woman” who buys items and hands a check to the cashier, court records say.
After the transaction was completed, CCTV footage showed the woman leaving the store. The employee also indicated that the same woman returned to Walmart on January 2, 2022 and attempted to return the items purchased on January 1, 2022 for a cash refund. Due to store policies, the only items the female could successfully return were two PlayStation chargers.
The employee said the woman went to another store and was able to return the other items purchased. The employee provided a copy of that receipt. The sheriff’s deputy traveled to the Hillsboro Kroger and spoke to the manager about a transaction involving one of the checks.
Devante Ames, 29, Hillsboro, was sentenced to three years of community checks on one count of aggravated trafficking of methamphetamine, a third-degree felony.
Court records show that Ames was ordered to make monthly payments of $30 beginning Sept. 1, 2022 and ordered to repay $170 along with a co-defendant to the Highland County Task Force. Ames was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine on August 2, 2035.
According to court documents, on or about September 21, 2021, two investigators met with an informant who said they could buy meth from someone who was an Ames employee.
The informant purchased a crystal substance that was sent to BCI and tested as 7,151 grams of meth.
Leona Rinehart, 47, Hillsboro, was sentenced to three years of community control on one charge of aggravated meth trafficking.
Rinehart was ordered to make monthly payments of $20 per month from October 1, 2022, for a total of $60, to the Highland County Task Force and fined $5,000.
According to court documents, on or about July 5, 2021, investigators told an informant 2 that they could buy meth from Rinehart. The informant eventually bought a crystal substance that tested positive as 0.52 grams of meth.
Reach Jacob Clary at 937-402-2570.
Valentine
Adams
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