Kingston woman gets prison for police chase

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A Kingston woman charged with leading police on a multi-county chase has pled guilty and is going to prison.

Felicia Ann Coonrod, 31, pled guilty in Highland County Common Pleas Court on Friday to failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and illegal assembly or possession of chemicals for the manufacture of drugs. Both are third-degree felonies.

The charges stem from an August incident where it’s alleged that Coonrod evaded police, leading them on a chase that passed through Ross, Highland, Pike and Adams counties, as previously reported by The Times-Gazette.

In the plea agreement presented to the court on Friday, the state and defense made a joint recommendation for 18 months in prison on each count. The sentences were ordered to run consecutively.

According to judge Rocky Coss, the state in the plea agreement said it would not oppose judicial release to the STAR program after six months of prison have been served.

Also receiving a prison sentence on Friday was Gary Branson Wayne Watson, 22, of Greenfield. He pled guilty to third-degree felony gross sexual imposition and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

According to Coss, the indictment alleges that Watson had sexual contact with a 10-year-old victim.

Watson will be classified as Tier II sex offender, which requires that he register every 180 days for 25 years.

In other hearings, Lasasha Ruggles, 27, Hillsboro, was denied judicial release from prison.

Prosecutor Anneka Collins said she opposed Ruggles’ early release because the defendant has previously been to prison, had prior opportunities for treatment that she did not utilize, violated her pretrial supervision, and that on the day of her January sentencing she was late and admitted that the reason was due to her getting high.

Ruggles pled guilty to fourth-degree felony trafficking in heroin and fifth-degree felony heroin possession and in January was sentenced to a total of 22 months in prison.

Shane A. St. Clair, 41, Hillsboro, pled guilty on Friday to fifth-degree felony nonsupport. He is scheduled to be sentenced next month. According to the plea agreement, the state and defense will argue sentencing.

Trenton A. Zumwalde, 20, Lynchburg, was ordered to be held on a $2,500 bond at the county jail.

Zumwalde, who is charged with fifth-degree felony trafficking in heroin, was detained following a pretrial hearing earlier this week.

According to Coss in that hearing, Zumwalde had not been reporting to probation. He was ordered at the previous hearing to report to probation immediately afterward, and while there the defendant refused to provide a urine sample for a drug screen, according to the court.

Coss said Friday that when he was notified of Zumwalde’s refusal, he ordered that the defendant be taken into custody.

Zumwalde is due back in court next week for a final pretrial hearing.

Reach Angela Shepherd at 937-393-3456, ext. 1681, or on Twitter @wordyshepherd.

Felicia Coonrod is pictured with defense attorney J.D. Wagoner in Highland County Common Pleas Court on Friday.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2015/10/web1_FeliciaCoonrod.jpgFelicia Coonrod is pictured with defense attorney J.D. Wagoner in Highland County Common Pleas Court on Friday.
Judicial release denied by court for Hillsboro woman

By Angela Shepherd

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