By Wayne Gates
Thomas Sawyers has been released from prison after serving 15 months of a four year sentence.
He was approved for judicial release on April 18 by Common Pleas Judge Scott Gusweiler.
“Tom has paid his dues. He’s been in prison a little over a year and he’s got to follow up treatment with (psychologist) Dr. (Stuart) Bassman…It’s an extensive treatment plan. I believe that everything’s going to work out fine,” said Sawyers attorney Mike Kelly following the hearing. “I can tell any of the victims that Tom is very remorseful for what he did. The events will not happen again.”
Sawyers, 72, was placed on three years of community control to be supervised by the Brown County Adult Parole Authority.
During the hearing, Kelly told Gusweiler that his probation department will be kept informed of Sawyer’s behavior.
“(Doctor Bassman) will stay in constant touch with the court’s probation department and advise the probations of Mr. Sawyers’ compliance or non-compliance,” Kelly told the court.
Gusweiler responded, “We will demand no less.”
Kelly also told Gusweiler that “The court having the authority to impose the remainder of the original sentence is enough of an encouragement, if nothing else, to see to it that Mr. Sawyers behaves himself and does what he is supposed to do.”
After Kelly spoke, Gusweiler addressed Sawyers directly.
“Anything you want to say, Mr. Sawyers?”
Sawyers replied, “No, I just regret what’s happened.”
Gusweiler than Sawyers then had the following exchange.
Gusweiler: “Are you through with this nonsense?”
Sawyers: “Yes sir. I want to be with my family.”
Gusweiler: “Your family deserves better and this county deserves better. This court will demand that.”
Gusweiler then told Sawyers, “For the major reason that I can supervise you better than the Adult Parole Authority will ever dream of supervising you is going to grant your application.”
The restrictions on Sawyers include no alcohol or drugs of abuse, abide by all the rules and regulations of the adult probation department, no violations of federal, state or local law, no contact with any of the victims that were involved in these offenses, random drug screenings and completion all treatment.
Sawyers asked for judicial release in August of last year, but was denied by Gusweiler. A similar motion was filed in January of this year.
Sawyers pleaded guilty to two felony counts on Jan. 17 of 2018.
They were Engaging in a Pattern of Corrupt Activity, a first degree felony, and Compelling Prostitution, a third degree felony.
The 71 year old Sawyers was sentenced to four years in prison on Jan. 29 of last year. He was also required to register as a Tier 2 sex offender.
The corrupt activity charge was filed against Sawyers on August 10 of 2017. The Compelling Prostitution is a lesser charge from a 26 count indictment filed against Sawyers on June 29 of that year. The original charge was Trafficking in Persons-Commercial Sex Acts, which is a first degree felony.
Prior to the guilty plea, Gusweiler was considering three motions from Sawyer’s then attorney David Grimes that shed more light on the background of the charges.
Grimes had asked Gusweiler not to allow “Anything related to Melissa Boling” as evidence in the case because her name is “irrelevant to all counts in the indictment.”
In a response from the Brown County Prosecutor’s Office filed on Jan, 16, 2018 Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Daniel Breyer responded that evidence regarding Boling was central to the case.
“The State of Ohio intends to prove through circumstantial evidence that the defendant (Sawyers) engaged in trafficking in drugs with Melissa Boling and that he used her addiction to coerce her into having sex with him when she otherwise would not have done so. As such, evidence regarding Melissa Boling is directly relevant to proving the charges contained in the indictment.”
Breyer also wrote that “In the instant case, the death of Melissa Boling due to an opioid overdose led to the investigation of this entire matter. Family members of the deceased revealed an expanding network of contacts all leading back to the defendant and his propensity to exchange drugs for sexual activity and his plan to exploit the illness of addiction and its symptoms to coerce women to engage in sexual conduct when they otherwise would not.”
Breyer also wrote that “The evidence regarding Melissa Boling and the defendant demonstrates the defendant’s scheme in his ‘grooming’ of potential victims and his plan to take advantage of thier addiction. Shortly after she performs some meaningless ‘work’ for the defendant, she has access to opioids which she consumes in an attempt to address her addiction. And while she is in the process of dying, the defendant is texting her to arrange a meeting. Evidence will show the specific and criminal nature of that intended meeting.”
