After an impassioned statement from his defense attorney, a Pemberville man accused of theft was
sentenced to community control.
Pleda J. Phommalee, 47, appeared Friday before Wood County Common Pleas Judge Joel Kuhlman.
He pleaded guilty in October to accepting money to do home repairs and then using it to gamble and not
complete the services.
Wood County Assistant Prosecutor Jim Hoppenjans read an impact statement from the victim, from whom
Phommalee stole more than $5,000.
“You are a con man … a grifter,” Hoppenjans read. “I hope that after all this is done … your punishment
is severe enough you won’t ever do this again.”
Hoppenjans said the statement reflected the accused’s unwillingness to admit what he did.
Records from Hollywood Casino show Phommalee had gambled more than $243,000 in less than two years, he
said.
“He took the money with the intent to go gambling. And we all know that the house wins,” Hoppenjans said.

He recommended community control as Phommalee has paid off his restitution. But he still owes other
people and the state is considering additional charges.
Hoppenjans added that he is not opposed to weekend jail time, but community control should include
Phommalee not being allowed to gamble.
“My client has taken responsibility,” said defense attorney Steve Callejas.
On Jan. 16, 2020, his client was paid $2,500 to do work on a Wayne Road home. On Jan. 20, he was paid an
additional $2,800 to do additional work. He was supposed to start work Jan. 29 but postponed it and
showed up to work Feb. 4.
Phommalee had workers on site that day but showed up late and was fired.
Anybody who has done civil work knows this is not uncommon for workers to arrive late, Callejas said.
By Feb. 11, criminal charges were filed and a preliminary hearing was held Feb. 20.
On March 18, Phommalee wrote a check for $5,279 and the victim could have been paid that day, Callejas
said.
But the victim asked that charges be filed, he said.
“All this time, I’m holding on to a $5,279 check to make the victim whole,” Callejas said.
“Yes, he went to the casino. Yes, he spent it. What he did was wrong. He’s made up for it. He’s paid,” he
said.
He said an attorney should never bash the victim, but to say this has been prolonged for a year because
his client didn’t want to pay Is wrong.
His client should not be blamed when the victim could have had a check within six weeks, he said.
Hoppenjans said payment was a condition of dropping the charges, which the state was not ready to do.
“I’m regretful to everything that has happened,” Phommalee said.
Kuhlman, in sentencing, said he considered several factors including that the accused had served a
previous prison term and he used his profession to facilitate the offense.
He sentenced Phommalee to two years of community control. He must seek treatment for gambling addiction
and not gamble in any manner whatsoever. That includes lottery tickets and pull tabs.
“Don’t feed your addiction,” Kuhlman said.
Callejas said that Phommalee has signed a form at the casino that he will not enter the facility.
“The fact that you paid restitution is the only thing keeping your outside prison walls,” Kuhlman said.

In June 2005, Phommalee was sentenced to six months in the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and
Correction for theft and was told to pay restitution of $643 to, at the time, a business in Northwood
and an individual who lived in Bowling Green.
He was to contact a counseling agency for gambling addiction and was ordered not to be inside any
premises where gambling is taking place.