Yanok sentenced to jail time for community control violation

Matthew Yanok appeared in court by video from the Harrison County Jail. Yanok has had repeated contact with the justice system and has been in and out of jail over the past year.

He was first arrested last December on a charge of trespass in a habitation, a fourth-degree felony. The latest major update came in March, when the state filed a motion to revoke his community control sanctions one day after he was sentenced. The case was reset several times due to Yanok’s behavior during hearings.

Yanok was charged again in November with criminal trespass and criminal damaging, both misdemeanors. Those charges would be a violation of his community control sanctions.

Yanok’s hearing Dec. 16 was scheduled to resolve his Harrison County cases.

“If you are found to have violated your community-based control there are 190 days available at the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction as a sanction,” Judge Shawn Hervey said. “Do you understand that?”

“Yes, sir,” Yanok said.

As the court prepared to address bond, Prosecuting Attorney Lauren Knight said the state had an offer to resolve the case. Public Defender Adrian Pincola said he would stand in as counsel for Yanok to hear the offer.

“The state’s offer would be 60 days local incarceration and then be put back on community-based controls,” Knight said.

With credit for time served, Yanok would serve 48 days total. After completing the sentence, he would be returned to community-based control.

Yanok said he wanted to accept the offer and began to explain his actions related to the recent charges. Hervey said the circumstances were not relevant because the hearing involved a probation violation, not the misdemeanor charges. Those charges, he said, are between Yanok and Jefferson County.

Hervey sentenced Yanok in accordance with the agreement.