Man will get 9 months for sneaking medicine into facility | Information, Sports activities, Jobs
LISBON – I call it his “First bad decision” but the last one he dealt with, Tavares J. Bell, was sentenced to nine months in prison for two cases of bringing illegal drugs to a detention center.
Bell, 40, Willowick, had prepared a lengthy speech for the visit of Judge John G. Haas, who represented Common Pleas Court Judge Megan Bickerton.
“I am not a criminal and not a bad person” he said.
Bell said in late 2017 and early 2018 he made bad decisions that will now affect him for the rest of his life. In the past 23 months, he has paid for three bad choices in his life, and by the time he made those choices, he selfishly wasn’t thinking about how they would affect his children. He said he missed one of them becoming a teenager, missing dozen of birthdays for his younger sons, and having a child he hadn’t seen yet because of incarceration.
“I sincerely regret the bad decisions I made that put me in this position.” Bell said, adding, before going to jail, he started making the changes he needed to make his life better and put himself in a better position “mentally, spiritually and emotionally.”
Although he knows life will be more difficult with a felony criminal record, Bell told Haas that he would not be discouraged if he wanted to be a better man in the future.
Haas pointed out that Bell’s testimony was well-written, but questioned things that are reflected in Bell’s criminal record up until 2001 and his dedication to children when he has a lot of maintenance arrears, including some dating back to before his imprisonment come.
Still, Haas followed the recommendations of Bell’s defense attorney Paul Conn and Assistant District Attorney Chris Weeda, who replaced Assistant District Attorney Steven Yacovone, to grant Bell nine months’ imprisonment with credit for 152 days served and a forfeiture of $ 135.
Weeda moved to dismiss three drug possession charges. The two charges Bell was convicted of were taking cocaine and fentanyl to the county jail on August 31, 2017.
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