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No Plea Deals Reached in Belmont County Child Porn, Child Abuse Cases

GARWON

No plea agreements were reached Monday for a man accused in a child porn case and a woman accused in a child abuse case.

John Null Garwon III, 43, incarcerated on a bond of $250,000, saw his trial continued to March 12 when he appeared before Belmont County Common Pleas Judge John Vavra. Garwon’s plea agreement had been set for Monday, but the evidence sharing process is still ongoing.

“I haven’t even seen any discovery. None at all,” Belmont County Public Defender Frank Pierce said.

“We are processing (the request for discovery). We are processing it,” Belmont County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Kevin Flanagan said, adding that information retrieved from electronic devices will be provided to the defense as soon as available.

“I’ve spoken with (the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation) as well as the Belmont County Sheriff’s Department,” Flanagan said.

Garwon is charged with pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor, a second-degree felony, and rape, a first-degree felony. The offenses carry maximum sentences of eight years in prison and life without parole, respectively, and designation as a Tier 3 sex offender.

Detectives originally had served a search warrant for Garwon in October after the Internet Crimes Against Children Division of the Belmont County Major Crimes Unit received evidence from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that Garwon had been sharing child pornography on the internet.

Garwon was arrested, but his Flushing roommate, Wesley A. Burdge, 46, and Burdge’s girlfriend, Tabitha Gallagher, 38, fled with their two children, ages 1 and 5. They were arrested in early November in Washington, Pennsylvania and have been brought back to Belmont County. Burdge was accused of pandering child pornography and Gallagher of obstruction of justice. Gallagher has since been bound over to the grand jury with a bond set at $25,000. Burdge’s hearing is set for Dec. 18 at Belmont County Western Division Court.

The sheriff’s office has indicated that more felony charges might be forthcoming, but the evidence is still being examined at the BCI office.

In an unrelated case, Misty Dawn Glasgow, 36, of Bellaire appeared with her attorney, Meagan Kirchner to request a continuance since no plea agreement has been reached. Vavra said the trial date would remain set for Jan. 8. Glasgow and a co-defendant, Devan Noel Redman, 25, of Neffs, are accused of endangering children, a second-degree felony, and possession of drugs, a fourth-degree felony.

“My client would just like another few weeks to think about everything going on and how she would like to proceed forward,” Kirchner said. Vavra denied the request.

It is alleged that the women abused a 4-year-old girl left with them by the child’s homeless mother. Deputies served a search warrant Oct. 4 on the house after the mother of the child brought the girl to Belmont Community Hospital’s emergency room for treatment.

The girl reportedly suffered multiple old and new bruises all over her body, along with multiple burn marks. Law enforcement reportedly found several thousand dollars in cash and 17 grams of suspected cocaine.

Redman’s plea agreement is set for Dec. 17, with a trial date of Jan. 15. Glasgow remains in the Belmont County Jail on a bond of $50,000. Redman has posted her $50,000 bond.

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