A Lima man could be facing prison after he was stopped for racing on U.S. 33, then allegedly fled from police.
Johnathan Edwa Gonzalez, 20, of Lima is charged with one count of failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer. According to court documents, on June 22, law enforcement officials received a complaint about several vehicles driving recklessly on U.S. 33.
Assistant Union County Prosecutor Rick Rodger said it appears Gonzalez and another man were allegedly racing.
Deputies from the Union County Sheriff’s office attempted to stop three vehicles, including a red Ford Mustang, as a result of the call.
The three vehicles initially stopped, but the red Mustang, allegedly driven by Gonzalez, then pulled back onto the road and continued west on U.S. 33. A deputy stepped onto the road and motioned for the Mustang to pull over and stop, which it did. While the deputy was out of his car dealing with another driver, the Mustang “took off at a high rate of speed and exited onto U.S. 36,” according to court documents.
A trooper from the Ohio State Highway was on the scene and began to chase the car.
“The vehicle continued east on U.S. 36 at over 100 (miles per hour),” according to court documents. “During the pursuit an Ohio State Highway Patrol Cruiser was involved in a single non-injury crash.”
Rodger said Gonzalez was able to escape at the time, but later turned himself in to police.
If convicted, Gonzalez could face as many as five years in prison.
Also indicted was:
-Codefendants Clifton A. Bingham, 34, of Columbus, Gabrielle Elizabeeth Kirkbride, 32, of Newark and Darrin John Selby, of Heath. Kirkbride, Selby and Bingham are charged with one count each of receiving stolen property and aggravated possession of drugs. According to court documents, about 3:57 p.m., June 15, Selby was allegedly driving a blue Lincoln Town Car on an alley near First Street in Plain City. Kirkbride and Bingham were passengers in the car. A check of the vehicle’s registration confirmed the car was stolen. The defendants allegedly said the car was a friend’s and he had let them borrow it. The friend is the one who had reported it stolen and confirmed he had not given anyone permission to drive the car. During a probable cause search of the vehicle a small bag of methamphetamine was located in the center console.
If convicted, each defendant could face as many as 30 months in prison.
-Frank Henry Hall, 23, of Houston. Hall is charged with one count each of carrying a concealed weapon and improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle. According to court documents, about 12:59 p.m., June 7, hall was driving south on U.S. 42 in Plain City. He was pulled over driving 66 miles per hour in a 50-mph zone. Additionally, Hall had his seatbelt buckled behind his back. According to court documents, a search of the vehicle revealed “a marijuana grinder,” with marijuana in it and a jar with marijuana cigarettes. Additionally, law enforcement officials allegedly found a loaded gun in the car.
Hall has already pleaded no contest to and has been found guilty on counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of drugs, operating a vehicle while intoxicated, speeding and failure to wear a seatbelt.
If convicted on the drug charges, Hall could face as many as 30 months in prison.
-Shawn R. Wiederkehr, 45, of Springfield. Wiederkehr is charged with two counts of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and one count of improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle.
According to court documents, on June 1, Marysville police received a call about a man passed out in the driver’s seat of a white SUV. The caller said the SUV was parked in front of their home. He said that when he approached the vehicle he could smell alcohol and when he woke the driver, later identified as Wiederkehr, he was slurring his words. Before the officer could arrive, Wiederkehr left the area but was seen in the Mill Valley subdivision. The officer stopped Wiederkehr and wrote that he had, “slow, slurred speech, bloodshot, glassy eyes, and odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from his person.”
The officer said Wiederkehr had trouble performing basic tasks.
“Shawn admitted to consuming alcoholic drinks, however, when asked again to reference the amount of drinks he consumed, stated that he could not put a number on it,” according to court documents. “Shawn had difficulty walking and balancing when he exited the vehicle. Shawn was later placed under arrest for OVI and refused all testing.”
After Wiederkehr was arrested, officers began to search his car, finding an Ohio License to a Concealed Handgun in his wallet.
When asked if he had a gun, Wiederkehr told police he one in the center console of the vehicle. An unsecured, loaded Smith and Wesson .380 handgun was found in the center console.
If convicted on both charges, Wiederkehr could face as many as 18 months in prison. Wiederkehr has a 2007 conviction for operating a vehicle while intoxicated in Clark County.
-Beverly J. Rapier, 38, and Jeffrey W. Wood, 32, both of 20055 Coleman Brake Road. Both Wood and Rapier are charged with one count of grand theft of a motor vehicle, stemming from a June 12 incident involving an allegedly stolen, 2004 Honda CR-V. The pair allegedly stole the keys from someone they knew, took the vehicle and got into a crash in Franklin County.
If convicted, Wood and Rapier could each face as many as 18 months in prison.
-Jeremy Dean Lindsey, 21, of Newark. Lindsey is charged with one count each of felonious assault, robbery, failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer, vandalism and petty theft, along with two counts of criminal damaging or endangering.
According to court documents, about 1:41 p.m. Monday, Marysville Division of Police was contacted about an alleged theft in progress at the Meijer store, 930 Coleman’s Crossing Boulevard. According to law enforcement officials, Lindsey was able to steal cell phones from the store. Officials said he was not armed at the time of the alleged theft. “While attempting to flee, the suspect struck several parked vehicles, including two Marysville PD cruisers and nearly struck the two MPD officers, who were outside of their vehicles at that time,” according to a statement from police at the time.
No officers were injured.
Lindsey allegedly had officers from Marysville along with deputies from the Union County Sheriff’s Office and troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol in a chase. The pursuit continued south on Industrial Parkway into the City of Dublin and Franklin County, reaching speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour.
As he got into a residential area in Dublin, the suspect crashed his vehicle in the area of Eiterman Road and Dalmore Lane. Officials said Lindsey was lucky to walk away from the crash. Following the crash, Lindsey fled on foot.
Officials from a variety of law enforcement agencies searched for the driver before a golfer at Dublin Golf Course saw him hiding under a willow tree and alerted officers.
-Charles Calvin York, 47, of 109 Papaya Dr., Marysville. York is charged with nine counts of rape and eight counts of gross sexual imposition. Prosecutors said these charges are in addition to two counts of rape and four counts of gross sexual imposition he was indicted on in February.
Assistant Union County Prosecutor Rick Rodger said the charges are stemming from the same set of facts. He said that as victims have been interviewed, they have been able to be more specific about dates and allegations, leading to the additional charges.
At the time of the initial indictment, Charles York, his brother Jeff A. York and Jeff’s wife Sheri York, were all indicted on similar charges.
Union County Prosecutor Dave Phillips said that in April 2017, the Union County Department of Job and Family Services opened a civil investigation into Jeff and Sheri York, “filed to protect a child.”
During that investigation, officials determined Charles York was acting inappropriately with children in the care of his brother and sister-in-law.
Investigators determined that between 2010 and 2017, Charles York allegedly repeatedly raped and had sexual conduct with three children. According to court documents, the youngest of the children was 7 years old when the alleged abuse began.
The prosecutor said that because of the age of the children, “essentially they were unable to resist.”
Phillips said investigators also determined that Jeff and Sheri York, “had knowledge and they failed to protect them.”
According to court documents, between November 2016 and April 2018, Jeff York threatened his wife in an effort to keep her from truthfully reporting what she knew.
In 2016, Charles York pleaded no contest to one count of sexual imposition. In exchange, prosecutors dismissed a charge of illegal restraint. In that case, Charles York admitted to crawling into bed with one of the same children identified in the most recent investigation. He held the child down and fondled her. As a result of that conviction, he was fined, jailed, ruled a Tier 1 Sexual Offender and ordered to have no contact with the child.
If convicted on all charges, Charles York could face life in prison without parole. Prosecutors are asking that Charles York also be labeled as a sexually violent predator.