GALLIPOLIS — A Gallipolis man was sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of theft and four counts of forgery in Gallia County Common Pleas Court last week.

Jeremy S. Carroll, 27, 3154 Kriner Road, was indicted in 2006 for allegedly stealing and writing out checks belonging to four separate individuals between April 3, 2005 and Oct. 5, 2005. After failing to appear for a final pre-trial hearing in January 2007, Carroll remained free until he was arrested in late April.

In court last Wednesday he was sentenced to 12 months per count with the first two counts to be served consecutively and counts three through eight to be served concurrently. Carroll was further ordered to pay $2,975 in restitution along with all of the costs of his prosecution.

Other cases recently resolved include:

Ryan Cozart, 28, Pomeroy, was recently sentenced to 12 months in prison after pleading guilty to one of two counts that he was charged with.

He pled guilty in court to attempted tampering with evidence, the second count of the indictment and a lesser offense than tampering with evidence for which he was initially charged. The prosecution subsequently dropped the first count of the indictment.

Furthermore, Cozart’s prison sentence is to run concurrent with any sentence imposed by Meigs County Common Pleas Court where he has been charged with aggravated robbery for allegedly robbing the Par Mar Convenient Store (The Beacon) in Pomeroy after brandishing a knife on April 1.

Michael A. Saunders, 21, 3667 Bulaville Pike, Gallipolis, pled guilty to breaking and entering last week.

He and a co-defendant, Jeremy Gibson were arrested by police on Sept. 10, 2007 in the process of stealing several radiators from L&L Scrap Metal. Gibson was sentenced to 24 months of community in November 2007, while Saunders was arrested earlier this month after failing to appear at his final pre-trial hearing in January.

He has also been sentenced to 24 months of community control, as well as to an evaluation by Spectrum Outreach, 500 hours of community service with all but 40 hours stayed, register with Ohio Employment Services, obtain his GED, pay $50 per month to clerk of courts while on probation, pay all costs of the prosecution, and have no contact with L&L Scrap Metal.

Eric S. Blackburn, 28, 23B Hawthorne Lane, Bidwell, was sentenced to serve the remainder of a prison sentence previously imposed by Gallia County Common Pleas Court in January 2008.

He served 25 months in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide in relation to the 2004 motor vehicle collision that resulted in the death of Dudley Kyle, before he was granted judicial release in April 2007.

In January, he pled guilty to three community control violations, committing a hit and run, breaking curfew, and consuming alcohol. He was ordered by the court to serve the remainder of his previously imposed four-year sentence, however that sentence was stayed pending the completion of six months inpatient placement at the Spectrum Family and Youth Outreach Services drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility in Dayton.

Blackburn was recently released from rehabilitation after suspected drug use, therefore the court ordered he serve the balance of the prison sentence previously imposed, of which he has 23 months left.

Indictments recently unsealed include:

Anthony M. Massie, 33, Jackson, has been charged with theft of a motor vehicle for allegedly stealing a 1990 Ford Ranger from Timothy Boggs on or about Sept. 29, 2007.

He has pled not guilty to the charge and was released on his own recognizance under a $10,000 bond with an additional bond set at $1,000.

His jury trial is scheduled for Oct. 1, 2008 at 9 a.m.