BUCYRUS — Two defendants, both represented by Bucyrus attorney Adam Stone, appeared in Crawford County Common Pleas Court on Friday for competency hearings.
Adam Gunter, 39, of Galion, is accused of first-degree felony rape. His case involves a minor.
During was deemed competent to stand trial.
Judge Sean Leuthold found Gunter competent base on a District Five Diagnostic Center Psychological Evaluation and an additional evaluation performed by Dr. Fabian. Both evaluations netted the same conclusions about Gunter’s competency.
Stone told the court that while they did not oppose the declaration of competency, he wanted the right to address the issue of his client’s IQ during trial. Leuthold granted that request.
Gunter first answered to the rape charge in a December 3017 hearing. He is accused of placing his genitals in the mouth of a four-month-old infant. The child was taken to Galion Hospital as a result of a bleeding mouth. It was discovered that there was tissue damage under the tongue of the baby as well as burn marks around its neck as a result of either chemicals or scalding water.
The emergency department suspected sexual assault and proceeded with swab tests, one of which showed the baby testing positive for gonorrhea.
The victim was transferred to Children’s Hospital in Columbus for further care.
Also, Martin Nolen, 26, of Bucyrus. was found competent to stand trial while accused of a first-degree felony charge of raping a juvenile.
Leuthold said two separate evaluations, one completed by the District Five Diagnostic Center and another psychological evaluation prepared by Dr. Vladimir Fabian, a forensic psychologist with Avita Health Systems netted similar conclusions.
Leuthold ordered a pretrial be set as soon as possible.
“This case has had some delays and we need to move forward with it,” Leuthold said.
Also, Amanda Callahan, 26, of Bucyrus, is being held on a $100,000 bond after she and her infant tested positive for drugs. She is charged with violating the terms and conditions of her community control. According to probation officer Dan Wurm, on June 18, Callahan tested positive for methamphetamines and THC. Subsequently, her newborn child was tested and tested positive for the substances as well.
Kassandra Miller, 25, was granted judicial release after serving 12 months of a 30-month sentence.
She originally was sentenced to 30 months in prison on charges including possession of drugs, assault on a peace officer, harassment with a bodily substance and resisting arrest. During the process of judicial release an additional charge of possession of drugs was discovered.
Her attorney Charles Robinson of Franklin County worked with prosecutors to arrange a plea to the recently discovered charge. In exchange for a guilty plea to the now old charges, the state agreed to place Miller on an additional five years of community control and still allow her release from prison.
“I see the sense of relief on your face and I believe you have no plans on returning to prison,” Leuthold said. “But shockingly, more than half of the people I grant judicial release head back to prison and about 25 percent within the first thirty days. You are not going back to your boyfriend who is a felon, you’re not going to have any associations with any felons. There will be no booze, no bars and no drugs. Mr. Wurm is going to watch you carefully and if you mess this up, test positive or associate with felons, I’ll send you back to prison.”
