Judge Jeffrey Cramer recently addressed several matters in Wetzel County Circuit Court. Those matters are as follows:

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Hannah Thomas, 28, of Paden City, appeared in court alongside Attorney David White for an adjudicatory hearing on a petition to revoke probation. Thomas pleaded to unlawful assault in November 2017 and was sentenced to one to five years in prison. That sentence was suspended, and she was placed on 18 months of supervised probation.

At a Feb. 6 hearing White told the court that Thomas was willing to admit to probation violations, and he said he believed a resolution has been reached. He explained his client is facing criminal charges in Ohio and will soon be serving time there, which he believes will take care of the West Virginia charges. It was noted Thomas has a four-count probation violation and is currently on bond in W.Va.

The case was continued, pending the Ohio charges

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Robert Lemasters, 44. of Folsom, W.Va., did not appear in court as scheduled on Wednesday for a petition to revoke probation hearing. Judge Cramer was advised that Lemasters had just had surgery and was not able to be in court.

Lemasters is charged with violating the terms of his supervised probation. He is on probation after admitting to manufacturing a controlled substance, marijuana. Judge Cramer rescheduled the hearing for Feb. 21, at 1:45 p.m.

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Joshua Streight, 31, of 214 South 2nd Ave., Paden City, was previously indicted by the grand jury, charging him with one felony count of malicious assault, having alleged to occur between November 30, 2017 and December 1, 2017.

Streight appeared in court on Feb. 6 without counsel and was informed by Judge Cramer that he didn’t qualify for a public defender, as his income was too high.

He was ordered to return to court on Feb. 21, at 2 p.m. and was advised to hire an attorney. Streight is free on bond, which was allowed to continue.

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Cody Baters, 31, of Clarington, Ohio, appeared in court for an arraignment hearing on charges handed down by the January term of the Wetzel County Grand Jury. Baters was indicted on a felony count of entry of a building other than a dwelling with the intent to commit larceny, and count two – a misdemeanor crime of petit larceny. He was placed on a $10,000 cash/surety bond by Judge Cramer and ordered to appear back in court on Feb. 21, at 2:30 p.m. He was remanded to jail, pending bond.

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Gavin Wade, of Wetzel County, appeared in court on a probation revocation hearing. Attorney Brett Ferro told the court that Wade was not ready for admission and was willing to waive the preliminary hearing . Judge Cramer set a return date of March 6, at 3 p.m. for an adjudicatory hearing on the petition to revoke extended supervised release. Morris was remanded to jail, pending the hearing.

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Ryan Schostag, 31, appeared in court alongside Attorney Ferro for a probation revocation hearing. The probation office filed to have his probation revoked because he failed to report to the probation officer for 9-10 months. Schostag said he was willing to admit to the violation and it did indeed occur. He said he was working steady and got lax in reporting and he knows he made a mistake. Prosecutor Tim Haught told the court that technically this was Schostag’s second violation, which carries a 120-day sanction. Ferro argued for work release and home confinement.

Judge Cramer allowed Schostag to be released on home confinement with work release and reminded him to report as directed by the probation office. Schostag is to be responsible for all fees associated with his release. He was ordered released from jail immediately.

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James Haught, 24, of 717 Sixth Street, New Martinsville, appeared in court alongside Attorney Brett Ferro for an adjudication hearing to revoke extended supervised release probation. Haught was on extended supervised release as a sexual offender and has been accused of violating his probation by being around underage children, in particular a high school girl at John Marshall. James Haught admitted in court to picking a girl up at John Marshall and taking her to Cameron. Wetzel County Prosecutor Tim Haught told the court this was the second time the defendant had violated probation, and he said he would recommend the minimum sentence of five years. Ferro argued for his client, requesting the court to allow James Haught to remain on probation, or at least give a reduced sentence. Ferro said the girl James Haught was with will be of legal age in March. Ferro said he feels James Haught would not be a threat to anyone, plus he would be able to remain employed.

James Haught spoke on his own behalf, explaining he was in love with the girl and wanted to be with her. He said he admits to taking her home on one occasion, and after he found out his probation was going to be revoked, he decided to go ahead and spend time with the girl.

James Haught’s mother also spoke to the court on his behalf.

Judge Cramer heard the testimony and recommendation from the state and then stated he felt it was more than just a probation violation. He said the defendant admits to being with the girl, even after knowing it wasn’t allowed and knowing his probation would be revoked. Cramer sentenced Haught to the maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. He was remanded to serve his sentence.