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WELLSBURG -- A Massillon, Ohio man accused of attempting to strangle a local woman and a Wellsburg woman accused of putting her three small children at risk entered pleas in Brooke County Circuit Court on Friday.
Manuel J. Reeves Jr., 48, of Massillon entered a no contest plea to the charge of strangulation and is scheduled to appear again on Dec. 18 for sentencing.
A no contest plea isn't an admission of guilt but is an acknowledgment there is evidence that could lead a jury to find the defendant guilty of the crime.
While such a plea can affect civil cases, 1st Judicial Circuit Court Judge Ronald Wilson said it's treated no differently than a guilty plea in a criminal matter.
Wilson noted Reeves faces 1 to 5 years in jail, a $2,500 fine or both for the felony and that the sentence is at Wilson's discretion under Reeves' plea agreement.
Reeves is slated to return on Dec. 18 for sentencing following a pre-sentence investigation ordered by the judge.
Brooke County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Allison Cowden told the court that following a dispute between Reeves and a woman known to him on April 8, he attempted to choke her and Follansbee Police investigating the incident found red marks on the victim's neck the following day.
She said the woman supports the plea agreement.
Also on Friday, Katherine M. Hooker, 32, of Wellsburg, pleaded guilty to child neglect creating substantial risk of injury and failure to appear, the latter charge for her absence at a hearing held for her case.
Hooker was ordered to serve 1 to 5 years in jail for each crime but under the terms of her plea agreement, may apply for participation in a drug abuse treatment program offered by the prison.
Pending her successful completion of the program, Hooker may be released for two years of supervised probation and one year of supervised release.
She will be required to register as a child abuser for 10 years and pay a $100 fine for the failure to appear charge.
Hooker told the court she was addicted to methamphetamines and heroin prior to her arrest.
Brooke County Assistant Prosecutor David F. Cross said she has relinquished custody of her three children.
He said the three, the oldest of which was 3 years old, were found barricaded in the kitchen area of a home she shared with 32-year-old Melvin Berry by Wellsburg Police conducting a welfare check on them on Dec. 7, 2021.
Cross said a space heater was plugged in and an oven was left on in the area, where they had been left unattended for at least an hour.
Berry pleaded guilty earlier to child abuse creating substantial risk of injury and was sentenced to 1 to 5 years in jail. He also is required to register as a child abuser for 10 years.
(Scott can be contacted at wscott@heraldstaronline.com.)