MARION, OH (MARION COUNTY NOW)—In a surprising turn of events, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office dismissed two third-degree felony charges of Operating a Vehicle Under the Influence (OVI) against 66-year-old Sharon K. Stoneburner of Nevada and replaced them with a fourth-degree OVI charge. This decision came after a year of legal maneuvering and was facilitated by Delaware attorney Zach Mayo.
Stoneburner’s case is particularly notable given her extensive history of felony OVI offenses. She was previously sentenced to prison in March 2018 for a fourth-degree OVI but was later granted judicial release.
In February 2024, she faced three counts of third-degree felony OVI, each carrying a maximum penalty of 36 months in prison. Court records indicate that Stoneburner was indicted by a grand jury on all three counts in May 2024, after which she posted a $10,000 bond.
In a puzzling decision, Assistant Prosecutor David Stamolis dismissed counts one and three, while amending count two to a fourth-degree felony, which carries a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison. Stoneburner subsequently pleaded guilty to the reduced charge.
Marion County Common Pleas Court Judge Todd Anderson then sentenced Stoneburner to 60 days in jail, along with three years of community control. The outcome of this case has raised eyebrows given Stoneburner’s previous offenses and the nature of the charges.
Every day, about 37 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes — that’s one person every 39 minutes.