Lynchburg man sentenced in 2 Highland County cases
A Lynchburg man was sentenced to prison recently after pleading guilty to charges in two separate cases.
As previously reported, James Pagett Jr., 30, was indicted by a Highland County grand jury in November and charged with failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and tampering with evidence, both third-degree felonies. In March, he was again indicted, this time on a fifth-degree felony charge of prohibitions concerning companion animals.
According to court records, Pagett pleaded guilty March 20 to the failure to comply charge and to the prohibitions concerning companion animals charge. The tampering with evidence charge was dismissed.
For the failure to comply charge, it is alleged that Pagett “did operate a motor vehicle … so as willfully to elude or flee a police officer after receiving a visible or audible signal from a police officer to bring [his] motor vehicle to stop” in an incident that allegedly occurred on or about July 15. The indictment alleges that “the operation of the motor vehicle caused a substantial risk of serious physical harm to persons or property.”
In the second case, it is alleged that on or about Feb. 7-8, Pagett “did knowingly cause serious physical harm … to a companion animal.”
After accepting the guilty pleas, Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss sentenced Pagett to 24 months in prison on the failure to comply charge, consecutive to a nine-month sentence in the Highland County Jail for the animal cruelty case. Pagett had 26 days of jail time credit.
In addition, Pagett’s driver’s license will be suspended for three years, beginning March 18, for the failure to comply charge, while he was ordered to pay $142.22 in restitution to the Highland Humane Society for the animal cruelty case.
Pagett is currently incarcerated in the Correctional Reception Center, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.
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