UPDATE A 180-day sentence and various fines have been levied against Wooster, Ohio resident Jessica McCarty for her unauthorized tower climb on July 26, reports the Akron Beacon Journal. Timothy R. VanSickle, the Wayne County Municipal Judge who heard the case censured McCarty for the escapade which endangered both the woman and the first responders at the site. A July 31 Inside Towers story quoted the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office saying, “she appeared to be under the influence of drugs as she exhibited a defiant and combative behavior,” climbing to the top of the tower at night during a rainstorm.
“There was a strong storm coming in, bad weather. It was a bad scene,” said VanSickle. The judge agreed to cut the sentence in half if McCarty completes mental health and drug assessments and abides by the recommendations that follow. You need to apologize to every single person who put their lives on the line that day,” the judge said.
“I do apologize,” McCarty said, adding that she has the “utmost respect” for first responders, the Beacon Journal reported.
When she asked if she could serve the time on weekends, since she is the mother of young children, an unmoved Judge VanSickle replied, “You should have thought about your three children before you got high and decided to climb that tower.”
September 5, 2018
