By Patricia Beech-
An Adams County man charged with causing the death of a Peebles youth was sentenced Friday, Feb. 22 to 17 years in prison.
Jesse Lee Williams of Peebles pleaded guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter with a Specification – a first degree felony and Tampering with Evidence – a third degree felony in the death of 17-year-old Blayden Skaggs.
According to official Adams County Common Pleas Court records, presiding Judge Brett Spencer sentenced Williams to 11 years on the Involuntary Manslaughter charge and two three-year sentences to be served consecutively for the Count 1 specification and the Count 3 tampering with evidence charge. The defendant was also ordered to pay a fine of $2,200.
Williams will serve his 17-year sentence in the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections.
Court documents also reveal that Williams’ post release control is mandatory for a maximum of five years.
Should the defendant violate the conditions of his release, the Parole Board may impose a more restrictive sanction, a prison term not to exceed nine months for each violations up to one-half of the stated prison term originally imposed.