Man sentenced for sexually abusing child

A man sent to prison for sexually abusing a child was one of a number of people sentenced in recent weeks by Judge Gina Groh in Morgan County Circuit Court.

John W. Christopher, 43, of Pasadena, Md. was sentenced to one to five years for the first degree sexual abuse of an eight-year-old in the winter of 2005-2006.

Christopher was also given a suspended sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison for sexual abuse by a child’s custodian.

After serving his prison time, Christopher will spend the next 25 years on probation.

He entered an Alford plea to the crimes, by which he did not admit guilt.
Sentenced for thefts Chad M. House, 20, of Hedgesville pled no contest and was sentenced to one to 10 years in prison for breaking and entering and for grand larceny last July. He was also sentenced to one-to-five years for conspiracy to commit the crimes.

Judge Groh suspended the sentences and House was placed on five years probation.

Gregory A. Gracey, Jr., 32, of Breezewood, Pa. pled guilty to petit larceny and fleeing from police on foot. He was sentenced to a year for each misdemeanor offense. The sentences will run concurrently with a sentence he is now serving in Pennsylvania.

Richard J. O’Toole, 32, of Berkeley Springs was placed on two years probation after pleading no contest to embezzlement — selling cigarettes at a store where he worked and keeping the money last spring.

If O’Toole is successful with his probation, the charge will be reduced to a misdemeanor. If not, he will serve a year in prison for a felony offense.

Drug offenses
Jessica R. Lester, 20, of Berkeley Springs pled guilty to delivery of a controlled substance (heroin). She was given a suspended sentence of one to 15 years in prison and was placed on five years probation.

Donna R. Roach, 47, pled no contest to simple possession of a controlled substance (Methodone). She was given a suspended sentence of six months in jail and will be placed on a year’s probation.

Found guilty by jury
Edna P. Hewitt, 36, of Berkeley Springs will be sentenced in late summer for delivery of a controlled substance (Oxycodone) last August.

Hewitt was found guilty of the crime in a jury trial on April 21.

Battery
Janelle L. Kidwell, 26, of Paw Paw pled guilty to the battery of a woman last November. She was given a suspended sentence of a year in prison and was placed on two years probation.

Trista Courtney pled guilty to obstructing an officer and was sentenced to 90 days in jail, followed by a year’s probation.

Probation revoked
Probation was revoked for Penny Baber of Paw Paw, who pled to possession of Klonopin last year. Baber must now serve her original sentence of six months in jail and was given credit for time already served.

Probation was revoked for Hope Cashwell, 20, of Berkeley Springs, who was given a suspended sentence and placed on two years probation for petit larceny last fall. Cashwell must now attend a rehabilitation program and will then be on five years probation.