WILLIAMSPORT, Ohio (Pickaway County) – A Williamsport man arrested last year following a burglary investigation has now been found guilty in Pickaway County Common Pleas Court.
Joseph Ferguson was convicted of breaking and entering this week. Judge Matthew Chafin handed down the sentence, placing Ferguson on three years of community control along with several strict conditions.
Under the sentence, Ferguson must complete inpatient treatment and comply with all treatment ordered by Adult Probation. If he violates the terms of his community control, he could face 12 months in prison.
Additional conditions of the sentence include:
- $150 restitution payment
- No drugs or alcohol use
- Do not leave the state of Ohio
- Obtain and maintain employment
- Curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.
- Compliance with any additional treatment ordered by Adult Probation
The conviction stems from an incident on October 21, when deputies responded to a reported burglary in progress at a property on Crownover Road near Williamsport.
According to the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched around 1:41 a.m. after the property owner, received a phone alert showing a man inside his barn.
Deputy C. Kreager arrived at the property and parked nearby with his cruiser lights off before approaching the barn on foot. While checking the area, he reportedly heard a vehicle start in a field behind the building and then observed a red sedan pulling onto Crownover Road heading north.
The deputy conducted a felony traffic stop and detained the driver, who was later identified as Ferguson.
During the investigation, deputies discovered several tools inside the vehicle including wire cutters, a crowbar, and pieces of cut wire, one of which was still clamped in the jaws of a tool. Investigators also located a broken window on the north side of the barn and several spools of copper wire that had been moved outside.
Authorities said the property owner confirmed the wire had originally been stored inside the building. Deputies also compared the homeowner’s security footage with Ferguson’s clothing and reported that the suspect in the video appeared to be wearing the same pants and shoes as Ferguson at the time of the stop.
Ferguson was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Pickaway County Jail. Evidence collected during the investigation included the tools allegedly used in the break-in as well as security video footage.
The value of the wire recovered was estimated at $686, though authorities noted the total loss may have been higher once all items were accounted for.
With the court’s ruling this week, Ferguson will now serve his community control sentence under supervision, with the possibility of prison time if the conditions are violated.
