Wood County Prosecuting Attorney Paul Dobson announced today that a fifth defendant in the case involving the death of BGSU student Stone Foltz has pled guilty.
On Tuesday, April 26, Canyon Caldwell of Dublin, Ohio appeared before Wood County Common Pleas Judge Joel Kuhlman and was convicted of obstructing justice and eight counts of misdemeanor hazing. In addition to the hazing charges, Caldwell had originally been indicted with third degree felony involuntary manslaughter, third degree felony tampering with evidence and a misdemeanors involving the provision of alcohol to underage individuals.
The involuntary manslaughter charge was dismissed and the tampering charge was amended to the obstruction charge, which is a fifth degree felony, with a maximum penalty of one year in prison. The remaining misdemeanors were also dismissed.
According to Dobson, during the event, the new members, including Stone Foltz, were coerced into attempting to drink an entire bottle of liquor. Stone Foltz later died from fatal alcohol intoxication, according to the Lucas County Coroner. According to Dobson, after police showed up at the house and indicated they would be back in the morning, Caldwell and others filled garbage bags with evidence of the event and another roommate took the bags off the property.
Dobson stated, “As the picture has become even clearer, the role that Mr. Caldwell played in the event that led to Stone’s death was less significant than the others indicted. It is our responsibility as prosecutors to bring the right justice to bear on these cases. Mr. Caldwell’s plea means that we have five convictions, four of which are felony convictions resulting from this event. We continue to prepare for trial on the rest.”
Three co-defendants, Daylen Dunson, Troy Henricksen, and Jacob Krinn, remain in the case, scheduled to go to trial before Judge Kuhlman starting May 16.
