ZANESVILLE, Ohio (AVC News) – The Fifth District Court of Appeals upheld two Muskingum County convictions over the weekend.
The district court allowed each defendant in two separate criminal cases – Lindsey Y. Riley and Leeron Mayel – to present arguments for appeal with representation and was granted a three-judge panel to hear their case.
Lindsey Riley was convicted in 2025 for two separate drug possession charges from February 2024 and March 2025. She was sentenced to serve five to seven years in prison for aggravated drug possession, fentanyl, and drug paraphernalia.
Riley challenged her first conviction on the claim that the drugs found on her person belonged to her boyfriend, which was rejected on the basis that Ohio law does not require proof of ownership or purchase to be in possession of illegal substances.
Her second challenge on the maximum jail sentence imposed was also rejected due to previous misdemeanor convictions involving drug paraphernalia.
Leeron Mayle was convicted for his involvement in a series of thefts in a Zanesville hotel parking lot in October 2025. He took a plea agreement that would recommend a combined 24 month prison term, but was sentenced to serve a total of 48 months consecutively.
Mayle appealed the maximum and consecutive nature of his sentences, which the appellate court found no basis to overturn .
Muskingum County Prosecutor Ron Welch stated; “These cases illustrate an essential principle: fairness and accountability are not competing goals. A fair process gives every defendant the opportunity to be heard, while also permitting courts to impose meaningful consequences when the evidence and the law justify them.”
