Latest news with #11thDistrictCourtofAppeals
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘Hearsay' at trial forces sentencing back to court
WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) – A local man convicted of sexually abusing animals has been sent back to a Trumbull County court for resentencing. Trent Addicott, 27, was found guilty of four counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor, two counts of pandering obscenity to minors, all second-degree felonies, and five misdemeanor charges of sexual misconduct with an animal. He was sentenced in September 2024 to 24 to 28 years in prison. An 11th District Court of Appeals decision said that there was one assignment of error in Addicott's sentencing and involved the introduction of hearsay evidence at trial. 'Appellant's arguments that three CyberTipline Reports and related testimony violated his confrontation rights have some merit … the CyberTipline reports were not properly admitted as business records, and we cannot determine that the records were nontestimonial,' wrote Judge John J. Eklund, with the appeals court. Because of the decision, counts three through six against Addicott involving pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor must be vacated, the judge ruled. The remaining counts were sent back down to Trumbull County Common Pleas court and Judge Ronald Rice for resentencing. Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins said in his response that they intend to retry the case. 'We intend to retry this case and will continue to seek a sentence that we believe to be appropriate and commensurate with this defendant's egregious and revolting actions,' Watkins stated. 'In no way should this man get less,' said Assistant Prosecutor Gabe Wildman, who prosecuted the case. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Auditor fights ruling to pay Bazetta Township in cybercrime case
WARREN, Ohio, (WKBN) — Trumbull County Auditor Martha Yoder is appealing a county judge's decision that her office pay Bazetta Township over $80,000 it lost when the township's tax fund was mistakenly deposited into a fraudulent bank account. Yoder filed an appeal late last week in the 11th District Court of Appeals, taking issue with Judge Sarah Thomas Kovoor's decision. A notice of appeal was filed, but briefs stating Yoder's claim have not been filed yet on the public docket. Bazetta Township trustees were quick to respond to the appeal and posted the following message on the township's Facebook page: We regret to inform our hard-working, tax-paying residents of Bazetta Township the Trumbull County Auditor, Martha Yoder has filed an Appeal to the 11th District Court of Appeals from the law suit we filed and were awarded by the Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas. To date, we have been forced to spend $11,191.00 to recover your tax dollars she (Yoder) is statutorily required to deposit to Bazetta Township. Unfortunately, this process could drag out from six months to a year and will cost the taxpayers of our township and county even more money in legal fees. Bazetta Township The ruling follows a cyberattack in August 2024, when hackers infiltrated the township's fiscal officer's email and posed as officials to redirect where the township's tax revenue should be sent. The auditor's office failed to verify the request and sent the money to a fraudulent account at Green Dot Bank. Yoder previously stated that the township's fiscal officer admitted to asking for the multifactor authentication (MFA) to be turned off for the email account. MFA is an electronic authenticationsecurity method that allows access to an application only after a user successfully presents two or more pieces of evidence to authenticate identity. The amount ordered to be repaid was $80,857.19. Nadine Grimley and Lindsey Watson contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
Crime victim curtails defendants early probation
WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) – A victim of a crime in Trumbull County has filed her own appeal that has stalled a defendant's early release from probation. According to the Trumbull County Prosecutor's Office, the 11th District Court of Appeals in Trumbull County reversed the decision of a county court judge who granted Cyler Reed, of Hubbard, early termination of his probation. During a hearing on September 5, 2024, Reed's probation was discharged after serving two of his five-year sentence. The victim was denied the chance to address the court during that hearing and was given a second chance at a hearing on September 25, but she did not show up, so the probation termination stood, according to the Trumbull County Prosecutor's Office. Under Mary's Law, the victim is allowed to challenge the order through a direct appeal, which they did, so now the case goes back to the county where another hearing will be held on Reed's early probation termination and the victim will be heard. The case surrounds a 2021 incident where Reed kicked in the door of the victim's home, searched through rooms carrying a stun gun, and told the victim that their son had a warrant for failure to appear in Newton Falls court. Cyler was arrested and charged with burglary, criminal damaging, menacing and trespass into a habitation. The burglary charge was dropped, and he was subsequently sentenced to five years of probation. The next event in the case is scheduled for May 9. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
