Wells Superior Court
Criminal Cases
Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Angela M. Billman, 41, Zanesville, charged with possesion of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor, and possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor. Pauper status denied.
Sheriff’s deputies and Markle police responded to Billman’s residence in Zanesville May 11 on a report of a domestic disturbance.
During the course of the investigation, at the request of Billman’s husband, police searched the Billmans’ residence because Nathan Billman reportedly told the investigating officer that there was marijuana in his wife’s possessions. They allegedly found marijuana, marijuana wax, and drug paraphernalia. Angela Billman also allegedly had a vaping pen in one of her pockets.
———
Joseph R. Geier, 34, Fort Wayne, violated probation by failing to report to his probation officer Sept. 11 and Sept. 23, 2020 and by failing to comply with the counseling requirement ordered by the court.
Ordered to serve 120 days in the Wells County Jail. Credited for 16 days spent in confinement awaiting disposition of his case.
Ordered to pay $100 in fees.
Upon completion of his term of incarceration, his probation will terminate.
Geier was originally sentenced April 12, 2019, on two counts of invasion of privacy, both Class A misdemeanors.
———
Shawn Michael Bishop, 49, Fort Wayne, pleaded guilty to escape, wherein the defendant knowingly or intentionally violates a home detention order, a Level 6 felony. The conviction as a felony was vacated by the court and the charge was reduced to a Class A misdemeanor.
Sentenced to 180 days in the Wells County Jail. Credited 46 days spent in confinement awaiting disposition of his case.
Ordered to pay $185 in court costs.
As part of a plea agreement, one count of failure to return to lawful detention, a Level 6 felony, was dismissed.
On Nov. 29, 2021, Bishop was sentenced to 60 days of home detention following his plea of guilty to possession of drug paraphernalia with a prior conviction for the same offense, a Class A misdemeanor.
On Jan. 8, 2022, Bishop reportedly had still failed to show up at Wells County Community Corrections to have the monitoring equipment installed.. Bishop reportedly told the investigating officer that he just got too busy to report to community corrections.
Because he was in violation of his probation by failing to report to community corrections, he was also ordered to serve 180 days in the Wells County Jail.
Upon completion of his term of incarceration, his probation will terminate.
———
One-day jury trial set for Sept. 16 for Bobby J. Speece, 42, rural Montpelier, charged with two counts of theft — one a Level 6 felony and the other a class A misdemeanor — and one count of auto theft, a Level 6 felony.
———
Emily Neiswender, 23, Bluffton, pleaded guilty to escape wherein the defendant knowingly or intentionally violates an order for home detention, a Level 6 felony.
Sentenced to a year in prison, all suspended, and placed on probation for one year.
Ordered to submit a DNA sample and pay court costs and probation fees.
On Oct. 18, Neiswender was sentenced in Wells Superior Court on one count of domestic battery, a Class A misdemeanor. As part of her sentence she was ordered to serve 60 days of home detention.
According to a report from Wells County Community Corrections, which operates the home detention program, Neiswender failed to report to Community Corrections to receive her ankle monitoring device.
Because of her failure to appear, she was found in violation of her probation and ordered to serve 66 days in the Wells County Jail, which was credited as time served.
She was also ordered to pay $225 in fees.
