Court Report: Athens men sentenced in tampering cases

An Athens, Ohio, man was sentenced Thursday in the Athens County Court of Common Pleas in connection to months of falsified documents.Matthew Messer was arrested on Nov. 19, 2012, on State Route 78 in Buchtel, Ohio. Messer, a manager at Buchtel Food Mart, was charged with one count of tampering with records and one count of theft after $12,355.63 was discovered missing from the deposit record.Messer pleaded guilty after it was discovered he had falsified deposit records over the course of six months.Judge George McCarthy sentenced Messer to entry in a diversion program. If he fails to complete the program, he will have to serve 30 months in jail.In a similar case of events, an Athens man was sentenced this Friday for tampering with evidence and petty theft.Troy Vermillion was taken into custody Dec. 27, 2013, after police were called to The Union Bar for a stolen cellphone.Upon arrival, it was discovered that Vermillion had taken the phone and was found to be in possession of the phone’s battery. In an attempt to avoid detection, Vermillion tried to throw away the rest of the phone, which earned him the one count for tampering with evidence.Vermillion refused a plea deal and was found guilty for the count of petty theft but was found not guilty for the count of tampering with evidence. Vermillion was ordered to pay the cost of the phone, restitution and court costs.Finally, a man was sentenced this Friday for one count of breaking and entering and one count for receiving stolen property.Jordan Dixon was arrested Nov. 17, 2013, after breaking into the residence of Roberta Doughty. While inside the residence, Dixon obtained a Matthews DXT bow which belonged to Alexander Dixon. The relation between the two Dixons is unknown.After being found in possession of the bow, Dixon accepted a plea deal that forces him to plead guilty to one count of receiving stolen property, on the condition that one count of breaking and entering be dismissed from the case. The parties involved will argue the proper sentencing at a later date.