By GEORGE KUNKE
SOUTH BEND – In Pacific County Superior Court proceedings last Friday afternoon, Heather D. Church, 40, of Ocean Park, was sentenced to 2½ years in prison for first degree incest, possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and failure to report.
Church had entered a guilty plea on September 27. Church told Judge Michael Sullivan that she was “high on pills, drinking and using pot” when she had committed these offenses. Church added that had “made a mistake” and “was sorry.” Church said she “wanted to be a better person and get help,” and that she was, “getting help before all of this began,” referring to her court proceedings.
Chief Deputy Prosecutor Mark McClain said, “Ms. Church victimized her daughter by allowing and encouraging her to have ‘the family baby’ for [Church] and her husband,” and that they had even “entered into a written contract” between the three of them which outlined how their relationship would be conducted.
“Ms. Church allowed a fifteen year old minor to come into the home and failed to report the sexual relationship between the minor and Mr. Church to law enforcement as required,” McClain added.
Church had requested that there not be the imposition of a 10-year no-contact order between her and her daughter and husband.
“I believe if Mr. and Mrs. Church are allowed to communicate, they will further victimize their daughter,” McClain said in opposing Church’s request.
Church was ordered to serve 30 months in prison, followed by 36 months (3 years) of community custody where she will be required to complete sexual deviancy and chemical dependency evaluations as well as have no contact with Mr. Church or her daughter. Judge Sullivan did allow the daughter to petition the court to review the no contact order once she is twenty-one.
In another case, Michael Cleveland of Ilwaco entered a guilty plea to second degree assault and one count of fourth degree assault and was sentenced to 2 years and 5 months in prison. Cleveland, who had been provided two court appointed attorneys, elected to represent himself.
Warren D. Dixon, Jr., 33 of Ocean Park, entered a guilty plea to second-degree assault, domestic violence, while armed with a deadly weapon. “Mr. Dixon pointed a firearm at his wife following a dispute and threatened to killer,” McClain said. “Mrs. Dixon indicated that she did not want him to go to prison, but I could not agree to that. But I was willing to reduce it to an 15-month prison sentence instead of a 36-month sentence given his desire for drug and mental health treatment and taking into account the victim’s wishes.” Dixon will be on community custody for 18 months following his release from prison.
Joshua Fairbank, of Long Beach, was sentenced to a year in prison for possession of methamphetamine.
Michael Pedrezzetti was sentenced to 108 months for delivery of methamphetamine.