Nov. 19 – LIMA – A Lima man under community control received a second chance on Friday after submitting false hospital documents to apologize for missing a week-long meeting with his parole officer.
Jarius Ward, 34, will receive an additional year on top of his three-year probation sentence ordered in March 2021 for two cases in which he was convicted of incapacitated possession of a weapon, trespassing a home and burglary.
According to the indictments, Ward entered a woman’s home on September 21, 2021 for the purpose of committing a crime. On January 18, 2022, he had a firearm while still charged with the 2021 offense.
Ward said he battled post-traumatic stress disorder after his best friend of ten years shot him in the chest this spring. He said he had seen a counselor a few times, but was overwhelmed in October and flew to Columbus instead of reporting to his probation officer for a week.
Ward submitted documents he said were from Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State University, indicating that he had been admitted to the hospital. These were discovered to have been forged, and he admitted him to the probation service.
During the hearing, Ward said a friend who is a nurse at Mercy Health-St. Rita forged the documents for him, and he doesn’t know why he asked her or submitted them instead of telling the truth.
Ward said he thought more counseling would help him and told Allen County Court of Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Reed that he was only asking for one more chance and that he would not fight a prison sentence if he violated his probation again.
Ward said that since being under community control he has held several jobs and recently started his own clothing business. He said he would like to continue this business venture.
Reed ordered Ward to be admitted to the WORTH Treatment Center before completing reentry court as a condition of his extended community control. He is ordered to pay court costs.
Comments are closed.