Saturday, November 15th, 2014

St. Marys man sentenced to more than 16 years

By Kathy Thompson
WAPAKONETA - A St. Marys man has been sentenced to more than 16 years in prison on charges from two separate cases.
Dustin Ball, 28, was sentenced Friday morning by Auglaize County Common Please Judge Frederick Pepple to 12 1/2 years on aggravated robbery and theft of a motor vehicle charges and an additional 48 months on burglary, theft and forgery charges. Ball had pleaded guilty to the charges last month.
The aggravated robbery and motor vehicle theft charges stem from a June 20 incident in which Ball forced a 69-year-old woman to put money orders she had just gotten from a local bank into her 2014 Chrysler 200. Ball then stole the vehicle and fled the scene, assistant prosecutor Andrew Augsburger said.
The other charges stemmed from incidents in May in which Ball broke into a home and stole 12 checks and a guitar
Ball cashed the checks for $100 to $150 at several banks in St. Marys to obtain cocaine and heroin, Augsburger said.
Ball told Pepple that heroin has destroyed his life, especially in the past year.
"I got fired from my job at the beginning of the year and a button got pushed," Ball said. "I had everything I needed. My wife, my three kids. Heroin has turned my life upside down and now I've lost everything."
Ball had faced up to 18 1/2 years in prison but pleaded with Pepple to be given less than 10 years so he could stay with his family and watch his children grow.
"I apologize and know this is my fault," Ball said. "But I couldn't get help for my addiction anywhere. I'm not asking not to be sent to prison but for at least a little leniency. Maybe some time in jail, community service and probation."
"He is seriously addicted to heroin," defense attorney Mark Weller said. "Maybe if he wasn't, none of this would have happened."
Pepple told Ball that since he had "traumatized" an elderly woman by robbing her at knifepoint, a longer prison term was needed to keep the public safe. The judge also ordered Ball to pay the victim $200 in restitution and included a mandatory five years of post-release control.
In the other case, Pepple ordered Ball to repay $4,015 to the banks, CashLand and the victim and ordered three years of post-release control.
Prior to the sentencing, Augsburger said he wanted Ball to spend at least 15 years in prison due to his record and the fact one victim was an elderly woman.
Court records show Ball had been convicted of breaking and entering, burglary and theft in early 2006 and was sentenced to four years and 11 months in prison for an incident at the Celina Music Store.
He was granted early release from prison in November 2006 and placed on five years of community control sanctions, the records show.
Additional online story on this date
CELINA - The small agencies that provide ambulance service and disaster assistance in Mercer County are partnering for efficiency.
The county's Eme [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
Committee does not back complete ban
ROCKFORD - Members of a review committee have found a book assigned to 83 Parkway High School freshman to be inappropriate for that age group but not worthy of a complete ban.
CELINA - City council members plan to borrow more than $500,000 to improve security and renovate the courtroom and clerk's office in City Hall.
Ear
WAPAKONETA - Auglaize County Sheriff Al Solomon is warning residents of new scams in the area involving computer viruses and high costs for victims.
Division VI Regional Football Semifinal
PIQUA - In their first meeting of the season, the Minster Wildcats let the Versailles Tigers hang around before putting them away late in the game.
Curtain Call
For the past decade-and-a-half, 10-win seasons have been as routine for Coldwater football as the change of the seasons and daylight emerging every morning. Until the mid-1970s though, double-digits in the win column were essentially unheard of for the Cavalier program.
Area Playoff Games of Interest
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
Kenton scored touchdowns in the second and third quarters and then held off Wooster Triway's fourth-quarter charge to advance to the Division IV, Region 12 final with a 13-6 win Friday night at Ashland Community Stadium.