ROSS COUNTY, Ohio — A Ross County man has been transferred to state prison after a judge imposed a 12-month sentence following violations of community control, according to court and Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction records.
James D. Seward Jr. was admitted to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction on September 4, 2026. ODRC records list him as incarcerated at the Correctional Reception Center.
The prison sentences stem from Ross County Common Pleas Court case 25CR000432. Court records show Seward had previously been placed on community control but later admitted to violating its terms.
A June 10 judgment entry ordered Seward to serve 45 days in the Ross County Jail and, after completing that sentence, enter and complete a residential treatment facility. His community control was also extended by one year, bringing the total period to three years.
However, court records show another judgment entry was filed on August 28 after Seward was found to have again violated his community control sanctions.
Judge Michael M. Ater sentenced Seward to 12 months in prison for fifth-degree felony harassment with a bodily substance and 12 months for fifth-degree felony vandalism. He was additionally sentenced to six months for resisting arrest, a second-degree misdemeanor, and six months for criminal trespass, a fourth-degree misdemeanor.
All four sentences were ordered to run concurrently, meaning Seward’s aggregate prison sentence is 12 months rather than the individual terms being added together.
Court records show Seward received 256 days of jail-time credit at sentencing. ODRC’s current record reflects 262 days of jail-time credit and lists his aggregate sentence as one year.
Seward was conveyed to state custody following the August sentencing and was admitted to ODRC on September 4.
As of September 7, ODRC lists Seward as incarcerated and gives an expected release/parole eligibility date of December 15, 2026.
The case is listed as closed in Ross County Common Pleas Court.
