Hearing for suspected drug dealer continued for one week
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The case against a 28-year-old Hutchinson man accused of selling drugs twice to confidential informants may enter a plea. The case was scheduled for court again Friday for that possibility, but the hearing for the cases against Matthew Gulick were continued one week, not at the request of either attorney. Judge Tim Chambers decided it would be best to have a special setting because of the number of cases and the charges involved.
So the hearing for Gulick will be next Friday at 1:30 p.m. Charges include racketeering, two counts for the sale of methamphetamine, two counts of using a communications device for making a drug transaction, no tax stamp, three counts of making false information and three counts of possession of stolen property.
In the first case, Gulick allegedly sold less than a half gram and in the second, just over two grams. He is also accused of other crimes, including making false writing involving three pawn tickets and also being in possession of stolen property on three occasions. Those crimes occurred in October and November of last year. Gulick also faces charges in three other less serious cases where the charges are theft of services and intimidation of a witness.
He remains jailed on a bond of $97,000 and, again, a special setting is now set for next Friday on the case.
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Hutch woman charged in indecent liberties case
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A local woman was in Reno County District Court Friday morning for the reading of a charge of indecent liberties with a child.
Samantha Otterbein is accused of inappropriate touching of a 15-year-old girl back on July 24.
She is free on a $5,000 bond and the state requested an increase to $20,000. Assistant District Attorney Andrew Davidson was also concerned because there was never a no-contact order issued in the case, meaning the defendant would not be allowed to contact the victim. He also wanted bond supervision.
Magistrate Judge Randy McEwen wasn’t willing to raise the bond, but did grant the state’s request for no contact with the victim and ordered bond supervision.
The crime is a level 5 person felony with a sentencing range of two years, seven months, to over 11 years in prison.
The case will now be placed on a waiver-status docket in front of Judge Joe McCarville.
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Former newspaper employee granted probation in felony theft case
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A former Hutchinson News employee who was convicted of one of three crimes associated with embezzling thousands of dollars while collecting money was granted probation for one year on a six-month underlying sentence.
Gregory Todd Jerauld had been charged with a computer crime, making false writing and felony theft, but entered the plea to felony theft, while the other two charges were dropped by the state as part of a plea agreement. The crimes occurred in a period between Jan. 1, 2011, and Dec. 2, 2013.
Jerauld would collect money, but keep some of that money for himself, then falsified the records on three different accounts. Apparently, back in November of last year, the newspaper conducted an audit and discovered the missing money which is alleged to total over $20,000.
At the time of the plea, the court was presented with two cashier’s checks, one for $500 which went directly to the newspaper. The second going to their insurance company in the amount of $19,883.
Those checks have been in the custody of the court since the plea was entered, but will now be dispersed to those entities.