VAN WERT — Two men pleaded guilty and one man waived his right to a speedy trial recently in the Van Wert County Common Pleas Court.
Michael Flickinger, 58, of Venedocia, waived his right to a speedy trial Aug. 29 so his attorney has additional time to prepare his case. He is being charged with two counts of rape, first-degree felonies; two counts of sexual battery, third-degree felonies; three counts of gross sexual imposition, fourth-degree felonies; and voyeurism, a fifth-degree felony. The victim is 15 years old. A pretrial is set for Sept. 30.
James Bloomfield, 48, of Ohio City, pleaded guilty Sept. 4 to four counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor or impaired person, fourth-degree felonies, and two counts of illegal use of a minor or impaired person in nudity-oriented material or performance, fifth-degree felonies. Bloomfield was indicted on 15 similar counts, but nine of the counts were dismissed with the guilty plea. A pre-sentence investigation was ordered, and sentencing was set for Oct. 9. Both parties agreed to a sentence of four years and six months in prison as stated in the guilty plea. Bloomfield will be registered as a tier-II sex offender and will have to verify his information every 180 days for 25 years.
Dustin Cooper, 40, of London, pleaded guilty Sept. 4 to felonious assault, a second-degree felony. He was then sentenced to a minimum of three years in prison. Cooper was indicted on an additional charge of aggravated assault, a fourth-degree felony, but it was dismissed.
Reach Charlotte Caldwell at 567-242-0451.
