- William G. Timberlake, 51, owner of G&R Tactical in Strasburg, has been sentenced to jail time for his role in a scheme involving the purchase of ammunition.
- His co-defendant, Jeffrey A. Stearns, 48, of Port Washington, is awaiting sentencing.
NEW PHILADELPHIA ‒ The owner of a Strasburg business has been sentenced to 90 days in jail for his role in a scheme involving the purchase of ammunition.
William G. Timberlake, 51, of Bolivar, owner of G&R Tactical in Strasburg, will also be required to serve 90 days of home confinement, perform 75 hours of community service, will be fined $1,000 and serve two years of probation. Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Judge Michael Ernest will allow Timberlake to serve the jail time in three 30-day increments. During his home confinement, he will be allowed to go to work and to medical appointments.
More on Timberlake:Owner of Strasburg business accepts plea deal in ammunition purchase case
In February, he pleaded guilty to one count of attempted telecommunications fraud, a first-degree misdemeanor.
Initial charges
He and his co-defendant, Jeffrey A. Stearns, 48, of Port Washington, a former Bolivar police officer and a former Sugarcreek officer, had been charged with one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, a second-degree felony; one count of theft in office, a third-degree felony; one count of complicity in the commission of an offense, a third-degree felony; one count of money laundering, a third-degree felony; one count of telecommunications fraud, a fifth-degree felony; and two counts of unlawful transaction in weapons, a third-degree felony.
Timberlake was also facing a charge of fabrication in a theft offense, a fourth-degree felony.
As part of the plea agreement with Timberlake, the state agreed to drop seven of the charges and amend the telecommunications fraud charge to attempted telecommunications fraud.
What happened
The Auditor of State’s Special Investigation Unit (SIU) launched an investigation in February 2022 after receiving information about an officer using Bolivar’s tax-exempt status and law enforcement discounts to purchase ammunition.
SIU determined that, during the coronavirus pandemic, when the private sale of ammunition was scarce, Stearns falsified documents to complete the ammunition purchase, allegedly for use by the Bolivar Police Department. The rounds, however, were picked up by Timberlake, and the Bolivar department had no knowledge of the transactions and received no ammunition for use by its officers.
Stearns pleaded guilty in February to one count of telecommunications fraud, a fifth-degree felony, in Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court as part of a plea agreement. He is awaiting sentencing.
'He made some bad decisions'
Before Timberlake was sentenced, his defense attorney, Peter T. Cahoon of Canton, noted his client was a Navy veteran, spent time as a defense contractor and opened his firearms business in 2006.
"He's been extremely helpful to law enforcement," Cahoon said. "He helps train them. He is an expert at repairing firearms. He's given a lot to the community in those regards."
He added that Timberlake's only prior record is a speeding ticket in the 1990s.
"This is a person with an entire history of being a very law-abiding type of person," the lawyer said. "What happened with Mr. Timberlake is he made some bad decisions. He has acknowledged them."
Cahoon said Timberlake was embarrassed and humiliated by what he did.
An apology
"I deeply regret my actions," Timberlake told the judge. "I also would like to apologize to all the parties that I have injured and caused harm and pain."
Before passing sentence, Judge Ernest told the defendant that being a friend of law enforcement and helping law enforcement is not license to bend the rules or skirt obligations. "You have clearly found that out the hard way here, that that is not acceptable, even with the best of intentions," the judge said.
Timberlake is scheduled to report on April 8 for his first 30 days in jail.
Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or at jon.baker@timesreporter.com.
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