2 who failed to appear credited for time served

2/22/2008

Two 18-year-old Springfield Township women who failed to appear in Lucas County Common Pleas Court after being subpoenaed were given credit for the 13 days they served in jail and received a stern warning from a judge yesterday.

Although Katie Pezan and Mikaela Buck resolved their contempt-of-court citations yesterday by admitting to willfully failing to appear, they still face felony obstruction charges in the same case.

Miss Pezan, of 616 Highland Creek Ct. and Miss Buck of 6741 Lincoln Green St. will be arraigned Wednesday on obstructing justice charges.

The women are accused of hindering the investigation of a shooting that occurred Aug. 16 in Sleepy Hollow Park near Dorr Street and Richards Road, according to the indictment filed Wednesday.

The indictment accuses the women of hindering the investigation a few days after the incident. In that case, two Toledo men were arrested for allegedly shooting and attempting to rob Rick Burk, who was spending time in the park with a female companion.

Yesterday, Judge Ruth Ann Franks accepted the women's admission that they failed to appear on Jan. 30 and again Feb. 4 when Monta Price was set to go to trial.

Price, 18, and co-defendant Ira Brown, 19, each were convicted and sentenced to prison for their roles in the shooting.

Miss Pezan and Miss Buck fled the state after being subpoenaed. They returned Feb. 8 and turned themselves in. They had been held in the Lucas County jail pending yesterday's hearing.

Authorities said the two women were with Price and Brown at the park and saw them before and after the shooting.

Miss Pezan and Miss Buck face up to five years in prison each if convicted of obstructing justice.