Ottawa County: Grand jury issues indictments

By: 
Staff Writer

After a recent session of the Ottawa County Grand Jury, indictments have been returned against the following individuals, according to Prosecuting Attorney James VanEerten:
-Anthony Adams, Maumee, has been charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated, following a traffic stop by the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office. The charge is a felony of the fourth degree, alleging that Adams has been convicted of similar charges three times in the past 10 years.
-Melissa Herrig, Woodville, has been indicted on two counts of theft, both felonies of the fifth degree, after she allegedly stole over $1,000 and a check from a former employer late last year.
-James Bell, whose last known address is Fremont, has been indicted on one count of illegal conveyance of drugs into a detention facility, a felony of the third degree, after he allegedly attempted to bring drugs into the Ottawa County Detention Facility last November.
-Richard Adams, Elma, Washington, was charged with misdemeanor OVI, along with felony counts of obstructing official business and failure to comply. According to reports of the Oak Harbor Police Department, officers stopped Adams for a traffic violation on Feb. 5, but he then left the scene and led officers on a chase for several miles.
-Gregory Helderman, North Olmsted, Ohio, has been indicted on felony charges of disrupting public services, inducing panic, and obstructing official business, along with misdemeanor counts of reckless operation and failure to stop after an accident. According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Helderman was involved in a traffic accident in January, then fled from officers.
-Devon Golden, who is currently being held in the Ottawa County Detention Facility, was indicted on felony charges of Possession of drugs and tampering with evidence, along with a misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia. According to the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office, Golden was a passenger in a vehicle during a traffic stop earlier this month, and was found in possession of Methamphetamine, some of which he allegedly consumed in an effort to conceal it from deputies.
-Jeremy Zybura, Cleveland, was charged with one felony count of Possession of Cocaine, after he was reportedly found in possession of the substance during a traffic stop last September by troopers of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
-Derrick Berberick, who is currently being held in the Ottawa County Detention Facility, has been indicted on charges of inducing panic, disrupting public services, obstructing official business, and aggravated menacing, after he reportedly fled from officers of the Danbury Township Police Department during a traffic stop on Feb. 4.
-Jordan Rollins, who is currently being held in the Ottawa County Detention Facility, was indicted on charges of attempted murder and felonious assault. According to reports of the Genoa Police Department, Rollins allegedly swung a large knife at an individual in a Genoa residence, causing serious injuries to the victim.
-Benjamin Stetser, Fostoria, has been charged with one felony count of patient abuse, after he allegedly struck a resident of a long term care facility in September, 2021.
-Eric Braun, Bellevue, was charged with one count each of improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle and aggravated menacing. On Feb. 9, troopers of the Ohio State Highway Patrol found Braun in possession of a loaded firearm, after receiving a complaint that Braun had pointed the gun at another motorist.
-Jayson Zimmerman, whose last known address is Columbus, has been charged with three counts of criminal nonsupport, after he allegedly failed to pay court ordered child support for six years.
-Matthew Shiffert, who is currently being held in the Ottawa County Detention Facility, was indicted on eight counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor, all felonies of the second degree, as well as one count of failure to register a change of identifiers, a felony of the fourth degree. According to the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office, Shiffert, a registered sex offender, was allegedly found with pornographic images of minors on his computer.
-Matthew Hudak, who is also being held in the Ottawa County Detention Facility, has been charged with felony counts of robbery, safecracking, felonious assault, and theft. According to reports of the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office, Hudak reportedly stole nearly $5,000 of liquor from a Portage Township liquor store, then nearly struck a deputy sheriff with his vehicle as he was fleeing the scene.
-Eric Robertson, who is also being held in the Ottawa County Detention Facility, was indicted on four counts of trafficking in drugs, possession of drugs, two counts of corrupting another with drugs, and one count of possession of weapons under disability, all felonies. According to the Ottawa County Drug Task Force, Robertson is accused of selling methamphetamine on three occasions earlier this year. Agents of the Drug Task Force obtained a search warrant for Robertson’s residence in February, and located drugs, a firearm, and a juvenile who was reportedly under the influence of drugs.
Summonses were issued for Herrig, Stetser, Braun, Anthony Adams, Richard Adams, and Zybura. Those defendants are scheduled to make their initial appearance in the Ottawa County Court of Common Pleas in late March. Warrants were issued for all other defendants.
VanEerten noted that an indictment is merely a formal charge in the Common Pleas Court, and does not denote guilt or innocence.

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