By Michael Schaffer - Managing editor
A Centerville man was sentenced to 10 years in prison Oct. 12 for his role in a four-person conspiracy to use a stolen credit and debit card to purchase items ranging from clothing to electronics to food.
Timothy John Hatfield, 22, pleaded guilty on Oct. 12 to the lesser charges of two counts of forgery, class D felonies, as amended in the trial information filed by Appanoose County Attorney Richard Scott. Judge Daniel Wilson sentenced Hatfield to the custody of the Division of Adult Corrections for a term of no more than five years for each count. The judge ordered the terms to run consecutively. Judge Wilson imposed a $750 fine and 32 percent surcharge for each count but suspended the fine surcharge for one of the counts.
According to court documents, Hatfield aided and abetted Jhon Christopher Merrick, 24, Amber Denise Williams, 24 and Tammy Latisha Hatfield, 26, all of Centerville on May 7, 2009 in Appanoose County in the commission of a forgery. Documents show where the four allegedly repeatedly used a stolen credit and debit card reported missing by Lori Ann Sherwood May 7 to purchase shorts and shirts, three pair of tennis shoes and one pair of sandals, a Sony DVD player, food, tobacco and DVD rentals at RedBox. Besides RedBox, purchases were also made at J&K; Market, Wal-Mart, Hibbett Sports, McDonalds and Murphy's.
Subsequent search warrants revealed all the defendants were in possession of stolen property identical to the purchases made on Sherwood's stolen card.
Scott had originally charged all four defendants in July with ongoing criminal conduct, a class B felony. The judge dismissed that charge against Hatfield.
The trial information filed against Williams was modified in October to include Counts II and III — both forgery charges, class D felonies — and she has a plea hearing scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday.
Merrick had a Sept. 1 trial date but filed a wavier of his right to a speedy trial. Court documents show he is still charged with ongoing criminal conduct. He is also accused of second degree burglary and fourth degree mischief in a separate case.
Both Williams and Merrick are on pre-trial release with the Eighth Judicial District Department of Correctional Services.
The judge also ordered Hatfield's two five-year sentences to run concurrently with the five-year prison sentence, suspended to three years probation, 180 days in a residential facility and a $750 fine Judge Kirk A. Daily on May 1 imposed against him for his negotiated voluntary guilty plea to the charge of third degree burglary, a class D felony, that Hatfield admitted to committing in November of 2008.
