A Hillsboro man that stole a truck and SUV from Butler Springs Christian Camp was sentenced to a prison term of at least eight months in Highland County Common Pleas Court.
Ronald Humphrey III, 32, was sentenced on one count of receiving stolen property, a fourth-degree felony.
According to court records, a factor in Humphrey’s sentencing was that he violated a term of the conditions of his bond.
Humphrey III was sentenced to at least eight months at the Corrections Reception Center in Orient. He was given jail time credit of 12 days. He was ordered to pay restitution of $1,000 to the victim through the the Highland County Victim Witness Office.
On July 21, 2020, the Highland County Sheriff’s Office received a reporting stating that a white 2018 Chevrolet Silverado and Honda four-wheeler were stolen from Butler Springs on S.R. 41 in Highland County. The victim reported that they left the keys in the vehicle while they were looking at a possible job, and after they returned found that the truck and four-wheeler were stolen, according to court records.
Two days later, an officer arrived at Sinking Spring First Stop in Highland County after they received information saying the stolen truck was in the parking lot. The officer located truck and noticed that it had been spray-painted, court records state, and that it matched the description of the stolen truck.
Two males — Ronal Humphrey III and a co-conspirator — we standing around the truck. Humphrey and the co-conspirator were put in handcuffs and told they were in investigative custody. A deputy arrived at the scene and confirmed that the VIN on the truck matched the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado stolen from the victim, according to records.
Humphrey was asked where he got the truck and told officers he purchased it from someone that wasn’t his co-conspirator. He also indicated the person he purchased the vehicle from had shown up at his house and told Humphrey he would sell the truck for $700. Humphrey then said he told the seller he’d give them $50 then and pay the rest of it when they obtained the title, court records state.
Later, when talking to a different officer, Humphrey changed his version of the events and said that the truck seller arrived at his home on a green Honda ATV. Humphrey said he then followed the seller to a residence in Ross County where the ATV was placed in a garage, court records state.
Humphrey also claimed that the seller arrived at his residence in a white Chevrolet truck on the same day. The co-conspirator said they were only getting a ride to the fuel station from Humphrey. After they were questioned more, the co-conspirator changed the story and said they had the ATV loading ramps at their home, which Humphrey gave them from the truck. The co-conspirator then said Humphrey admitted to stealing the truck and then agreed to have the ATV loading ramps brought to the Highland County Sheriff’s Office by a family member, according to court records.
Two detectives then met with Ross County Sheriff’s Office deputies and went to the home in Ross County where Humphrey said that the ATV was taken. However, the ATV was not found there. The seller was at the residence and said they didn’t know what Humphrey said about the ATV. The seller then remembered Humphrey arrived at the residence several days before with an ATV and then left with an ATV, according to the court.
The detectives left Ross County and met with deputies at the residence in Highland County where Humphrey lived. When they arrived, they talked to a female who identified herself as the property owner. The female granted permission to search the property and deputies found an area of high grass that led to an area that was flattened out and had a large amount of orange and yellow overspray with spray paint and empty paint cans, court records say.
In other news, Andrew Hill, 39, Dayton, was sentenced to three years of community control for one count for aggravated possession of methamphetamine, a third-degree felony.
The court judgment entry said if Hill violates any of his community control sanctions, he will be given a sentence of between nine and 36 months in prison and need to pay a fine of $10,000.
According to court records, a deputy was on patrol on Dec. 8, 2019, when they were notified by dispatch of a report that a black vehicle with an Ohio registration was nearing Highland County on S.R. 28 from New Vienna was being operated in a reckless manner. The deputy started to travel northbound on U.S. Route 62 from Hillsboro. When they approached Wright Road, the deputy saw a black vehicle commit a lane violation.
The black vehicle passed the deputy and the deputy noticed that the vehicle matched the description of the one reportedly being operated in a reckless manner. The deputy turned around to follow the vehicle just before it turned onto West Lane. The deputy caught up to the black vehicle and there confirmed it was the vehicle that was reportedly being operated in a reckless manner, court records state
The deputy saw a small white item thrown from the driver’s side window of the vehicle. The deputy started a traffic stop on the vehicle and the vehicle came to a stop. The deputy approached the vehicle and identified the driver as Hill. The deputy asked Hill about the item thrown from the vehicle, and Hill claimed he didn’t know what the deputy was talking about, according to court records.
The bill of particulars said the deputy found the item in the area where they’d seen the item thrown from the vehicle and saw that it was a plastic baggie containing suspected meth. Hill was taken into custody. After Hill was taken into custody, he was searched by the deputy and two baggies containing a crystal substance were found in Hill’s front pant pockets. The suspected narcotics were then submitted to BCI for analysis and found to contain meth, court records state.
Reach Jacob Clary at 937-402-2570.
