DARKE COUNTY – On Monday, Justin D. Thomas, 34, of North Star was sentenced to four years and 11 months in prison.

Just prior to sentencing, Thomas entered guilty pleas before Judge Johnathan P. Hein of the Darke County Common Pleas Court on charges of felonious assault with a deadly weapon, a felony of the second degree; having weapons while under disability, a felony of the third degree; attempted abduction, a felony of the fourth degree; and domestic violence, a misdemeanor of the first degree. Thomas was found guilty and a sentencing hearing followed immediately.

The prospective jurors were in the courtroom ready to begin the trial when Thomas chose to enter his guilty pleas.

The court ordered Thomas to serve a total of four years and 11 months in prison, to forfeit seven firearms and a knife, and to pay the court costs.

The charges derived from two separate incidents. In the first, on Sept. 6, 2011, Thomas was arrested after going to a family member’s residence near Greenville and threatening the relative with a revolver in an argument about money. This led to the attempted abduction plea.

In the second incident, on May 7, 2012, while he was out on bond from the first case, Thomas argued with another relative at his home near North Star and fired a shotgun at that relative. He was not permitted to have or use any gun due to the other pending case.

No one was injured in either case. Both cases were unusual since both victims did not want the charges to be prosecuted by the State, according to Darke County Prosecuting Attorney R. Kelly Ormsby, III.

Detective Corey Turner and other members of the Darke County Sheriff’s Office investigated these incidents. The State’s cases were handled by Ormsby. Thomas was represented by his retained counsel, Kevin L. Lennen from the Dayton firm Rion, Rion and Rion.