Top crime stories from Butler County courts in 2021

One cold February morning, Brittany Gosney and boyfriend James Hamilton walked into the Middletown police department to report Gosney’s youngest child, James, missing. It didn’t long for Detectives Jon Hoover and Tom McIntosh to determine the story was a ruse.

Sadly, the 6-year-old was already dead after being run over as Gosney attempted to abandon all three of her young children at Rush Run Park in Preble County. Gosney and Hamilton had thrown the boy’s body in the Ohio River in Lawrenceburg, Ind. just hours before visiting the police station.

Through hours of interrogation, the detectives were able to get confessions from both Gosney and Hamilton.

Hamilton, 42, pleaded guilty to kidnapping, two counts of child endangering and gross abuse of a corpse in connection with the abuse and death of James Hutchinson and abuse of his two older siblings in February. He was given the maximum of 19 years in prison. He will be eligible for release after 15 years, but could serve the maximum depending on his behavior in prison.

Gosney pleaded guilty to murder and two counts of felony child endangering for killing Hutchinson and abusing his siblings. She was sentenced to life in prison with parole eligibility after 21 years.

At the sentencing, Hoover and McIntosh were in the courtroom. So were officials from Middletown Schools, where Hutchinson was a well-liked first-grader at Rosa Parks Elementary.

Hamilton admitted to hog-tying Hutchinson, putting a cloth in his mouth and leaving him. He also admitted to doing the same to Hutchinson’s siblings and throwing the 6-year-old’s body in the Ohio River on Feb. 28.

Gosney admitted to taking her three children to Rush Run during the early-morning hours of Feb. 26, then moving the trio out of the van. When James clung to the van, he was dragged and killed.

Hutchinson’s body has not been found despite many efforts by dive teams.

Hamilton woman sent to prison for crash that seriously injured Edgewood students

A Hamilton woman was sentenced to prison in March during an emotion hearing in Butler County Common Pleas Court for a May 2020 crash that seriously injured two Edgewood students.

Judge Dan Haughey’s courtroom was overflowing with supporters of the teens, Savannah Schlueter and Caila Nagel, who were hit by a drug- and alcohol-impaired Samantha Harvey in a crash on May 6, 2020 near Ohio 4 and Symmes Road in Fairfield.

Samantha Harvey, 52, of the 600 block of Woodlawn Avenue, was charged with two counts of aggravated vehicular assault, two counts of vehicular assault and misdemeanor charges of driving a vehicle under the influence and driving a vehicle under the influence of marijuana for the crash that happened about 3 a.m.

She pleaded guilty to one count each of aggravated vehicular assault and vehicular assault, both felonies.

Following an emotional sentencing hearing in which Caila Nagel spoke from her wheelchair, Haughey sentenced Harvey to 66 months in prison.

Madison Twp. man sent to prison for two decades on child pornography charges

Two years after his indictment, a Madison Twp. man pleaded guilty in October to 16 counts of child pornography after being initially charged with 101 counts, and he was sentenced to more than three decades in prison.

Trevor Fraley, 26, of Dickey Road, pleaded guilty to 16 counts of pandering sexually oriented material involving a child, and Butler County Common Pleas Judge Michael Oster Jr. sentenced him to 31 to 35 years in prison.

Fraley was indicted in November 2019 on multiple counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a child and illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material or performance. He had been free on bond awaiting litigation of the case.

Before sentencing, Fraley read a statement telling the judge he was addicted to methamphetamine at the time the crimes were committed, but is now sober and ashamed of his behavior.

Assistant Prosecutor Kelly Heile read in detail the description of sex acts involving pre-pubescent children depicted on videos found in Fraley’s possession. In some cases, it was noted the children were crying and trying to get away while being abused by the adults.

Woman sent to prison for hit-skip crash that killed pedestrian on Hamilton road

A Hamilton woman was sentenced to 10 to 14 years in prison and three years of post-release control after she hit and killed a pedestrian in January.

Karen Ann Riegert, 62, who admitted to striking and killing Miranda Perry on Millville Avenue. She was sentenced in Butler County Common Pleas Court. She faced a maximum sentence of 15 years.

Perry, 28, was walking in the 1300 block of Millville about 2:20 p.m. on Jan. 20 and she was hit by a vehicle that fled the scene. Perry, a mother of a 5-year-old daughter, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Riegert was arrested shortly after the crash and indicted by a Butler County grand jury for aggravated vehicular homicide.

When officers located Riegert at her home on Curtis Avenue, she told them she had been to the Towne Pub and had four mixed drinks, according to the police report. She told police she ate Salisbury steak and drank milk when she got home.

Man sentenced to 14 years in death of woman found hidden in barrel in Middletown

A Middletown man accused of killing a woman and hiding her body in a barrel in Middletown pleaded guilty in April to causing her death and mutilating her.

William Slaton, 36, was arrested in June 2020 after Middletown police discovered 21-year-old Cecily Cornett’s body in a barrel at his home in the 3200 block of Yankee Road. He was charged with murder, felonious assault, four counts of tampering with evidence, involuntary manslaughter, three counts of gross abuse of a corpse and assault.

Slaton pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of involuntary manslaughter, tampering with evidence and gross abuse of a corpse. Judge Keith Spaeth sentenced Slaton to 14 years in prison — 11 for involuntary manslaughter and three for the other two charges, which were ruled allied offences by the judge.

In statements to Middletown police detectives last summer, Slaton denied killing Cornett but offered different statements about how she died. Slaton repeatedly told detectives what he did to Cornett’s body after she was dead. He said he cut her fingertips off with a cigar cutter and cut her tattoos off with a razer blade, and he put them in a Tupperware bowl. When others where asleep, Slaton said he cut the top of a metal drum, carried it downstairs, put Cornett’s body in it and took the barrel to an area near the shed.

Defendants charged with shooting family members

A Middletown woman has been found incompetent to stand trial in the shooting death of her sister.

Monica Ann Pennington, 48, is charged with murder for allegedly killing her sister at their Lafayette Avenue home on Oct. 20. The 52-year-old Pamala Pennington was found dead in the living room of the residence after Monica called 911, according to Middletown police.

Defense attorney David Brewer entered a not guilty by reason of insanity plea for Pennington.

After reviewing a court ordered psychological evaluation, Pennington was incompetent to stand trial. She will receive treatment at Summit Behavioral Healthcare and re-evaluated on fitness for trial.

On Dec. 1, a Monroe man, Douglas Imfeld, was shot in the back at his home on Apple Knoll Lane. He called dispatchers telling them his wife shot him.

Nancy C. Imfeld, 64, was charged with felonious assault and domestic violence for the shooting. She too called dispatchers to report the incident.

Following a preliminary hearing earlier this month in Butler County Area II Court, Judge Kevin McDonough found sufficient evidence to bind the case over to a grand jury for consideration.

One dead, two others injured in Fairfield bar shooting

Miguel Wesley Galliher, 20, is facing multiple charges for the Nov. 7 shooting at LugNutz bar in Fairfield.

The Hamilton man is charged with murder with a gun specification, six counts of felonious assault, failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer, carrying a concealed weapon and illegal possession of a firearm in liquor permit premises.

Galliher allegedly shot and killed 44-year-old Robert C. Strong of Hamilton. Strong was flown by medical helicopter to University Medical Center in Cincinnati where he was pronounced dead, according to the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office. Two others were hit by gunfire.

Judge Jennifer McElfresh set Galliher’s bond at $1 million. He is scheduled to be back in court Jan. 6, 2022.