Roberts sentenced on weapon charge
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An Amesville man was sentenced to a year in prison Tuesday in Washington County Common Pleas Court following a plea deal to a third-degree felony.
Vincent Roberts, 40, of 1920 Roberts Road, appeared in Judge John Halliday's courtroom via teleconference from the Washington County Jail.
Roberts had previously pleaded to one count of having a weapon under disability.
The foundational case, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office, saw a manhunt for Roberts in 2018 on attempted murder and aggravated burglary charges, both first-degree felonies.
According to law enforcement records, Roberts allegedly forced his way into his sister's home to confront her son about a disagreement; sheriff's deputies reported this also resulted in a firearm discharge in the direction of Roberts' nephew.
Deputy Jeremiah McConnell explained Tuesday that the victims in the case were not cooperative, with criminal backgrounds also influencing behavior when deputies arrived in October of 2018.
"The day that we pulled up (the victim) took off because he thought he was going to be in trouble, too. He was high, I suppose," said McConnell.
Without cooperative witnesses or victims, McConnell and Maj. Brian Rhodes explained Tuesday, the first-degree felonies did not see indictment by a grand jury.
The charges that did move forward from indictment were tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony, and having weapons under a disability, also a third-degree felony.
"He tried to get rid of the gun," explained McConnell.
A weapons under disability charge is applied by law enforcement and prosecutors if a felon is found in possession of a weapon following the removal of that right during conviction.
Rhodes also noted a coinciding warrant out of Morgan County for Roberts at the time of the incident for improper handling of a firearm in a vehicle, a fifth-degree felony; and both Rhodes and McConnell noted that Roberts was eventually arrested in Noble County on additional drug trafficking charges for methamphetamine, cocaine and prescription pills.
In court Tuesday, Assistant Prosecutor Kelsey Riffle noted for the record of the court that the sentencing agreement for the final plea deal to the lone weapons under disability charge would not carry over to additional charges Roberts faces.
Roberts' defense attorney, Shawna Landaker with the public defender's office, acknowledged the separation of the cases, too.
"We'll deal with those charges when they come, Judge, but we have nothing additional to say for sentencing today," said Landaker.
Rhodes said Tuesday that Roberts was not a new name in 2018 and is pending additional charges out of last year.
"He's been a frequent flyer for 20 years," said Rhodes.
"He's just evolved from what it used to be," added McConnell. "It used to be stupid little things then he just got into drugs … The new cases are now everything from stealing side-by-sides to steal packages off people from porches during Christmas."
The gun used in the 2018 incident was also forfeited to the sheriff's office Tuesday, by Halliday's order.