Court hears pleas in several local cases

The 100th Judicial District Court heard two pleas resulting in deferred adjudications last Tuesday, November 16, in Clarendon.

District Attorney Luke Inman prosecuted the cases for the State of Texas with the Honorable Judge Stuart Messer presiding.

A total of $5,000 in fines was assessed, and the defendants were also required to pay a total of $1,072 in court costs.

April Nichole Ballard Randall was placed on probation for a period of two years for the third degree felony offense of retaliation. Randall pleaded guilty and was placed on deferred adjudication for the offense.

Randall was arrested in Donley County for the offense that took place July 17, 2010, and was later indicted by the Donley County Grand Jury on October 27, 2010.

Pursuant to the plea agreement, Randall is required to pay a $2,000 fine to Donley County, and is also required to pay $473 in court costs. If Randall violates probation, she could face up to 10 years in the Institutional Division of the TDCJ.

Jacob Israel Brashears was placed on probation for a period of three years for the third degree felony offense of injury to a child. Brashears pleaded guilty and was placed on deferred adjudication for the offense.

Brashears was arrested in Donley County for the offense that took place October 31, 2009, and was later indicted by the Donley County Grand Jury on October 27, 2010.
Pursuant to the plea agreement, Brashears is required to pay a $3,000 fine to Donley County, and is also required to pay $599 in court costs. If Brashears violates probation, he could face up to 10 years in the Institutional Division of the TDCJ.

Also last week, the court met in Panhandle on Monday and heard seven pleas from across the district which resulted in six convictions and one deferred adjudication.
Out of the six convictions, five defendants were sent to the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Three of those defendants were locals to the Texas Panhandle.

A total of $16,500 in fines was assessed as a result of the pleas that took place on November 15. In addition to the fines, the defendants were required to pay a total of $2,522 in court costs and $420 restitution.

Mark Allan Linley was convicted and sentenced to six and one-half years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Linley was sentenced for the third degree felony offense of abandoning a child.

Linley, 52-year-old resident of Howardwick, was arrested in Collingsworth County by Deputy Vincent Marasco for the offense that took place on June 18, 2010.

“Deputy Marasco is a full-time deputy for Donley County and also assists Collingsworth County on a part-time basis,” said Inman. “Marasco provides both counties with exceptional service.”

Linley was indicted by the Collingsworth Grand Jury on November 1, 2010.
After being indicted, Linley picked up another felony charge of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, a state jail felony offense, which was taken into consideration pursuant to his plea of guilty to the third degree endangering offense, according to Inman.

In addition to the sentence, Linley is also required to pay $376 in court costs, and a $1,000 fine to Collingsworth County.

Wade William Langenbacher was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Langenbacher was sentenced for the second degree felony offense of possession of certain chemicals with intent to manufacture a controlled substance.

Langenbacher, 25-year-old resident of Channing, Texas, was arrested with three other individuals in Carson County by Panhandle Police Assistant Chief Taner Blackburn for the offense that took place on September 24, 2009.

“Taner [Blackburn] does excellent criminal interdiction work on our local highways,” said Inman. “This is one of several cases that Taner has made on Highway 60 where local drug dealers and traffickers, as well as local methamphetamine cooks, have been taken off the streets and out of the community.”

The driver, Joshua Mullen, is currently serving shock probation in the Institutional Division of the TDCJ. The front-seat passenger, Christina Ann Mullen, pleaded guilty on January 4, 2010 and received six years in the Institutional Division of the TDCJ. Christi Thryselius-English, the back-seat passenger next to Lagenbacher, is also currently serving in the Institutional Division of TDCJ for shock probation.

Langenbacher was indicted by the Carson Grand Jury on October 29, 2010.

Langenbacher’s case was not presented to the Carson County Grand Jury until October 29, 2010, due to the drug laboratory report not being finalized until September 21, 2010, according to Inman.

Langenbacher was the last of four defendants charged with possession of certain chemicals on the night of September 24, 2009, all three of which have done penitentiary time pursuant to pleas to an information.

In addition to the sentence, Langenbacher is also required to pay $355 in court costs, and a $2,500 fine to Carson County.

Jeffrey Joe Fisher pleaded true to the allegation listed in the State’s Motion to Revoke Community Supervision of Defendant and was convicted and sentenced to five years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Gene Maurice Massey was convicted and sentenced to six years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and eighteen months in the State Jail Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

David Allen Wade was convicted and sentenced to twelve years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Wade was sentenced for the first degree felony offense of delivery of a controlled substance.

Steven Fitzgerald Streib was placed on probation for a period of five years for the first degree felony offense of possession of controlled substance. Streib pleaded guilty for the offense that took place on April 29, 2009 and was placed on deferred adjudication for the offense.