Defendants in Michael Sheppard Jr. death sentenced to time served

NORWALK — The case for the 2003 killing of Michael Sheppard Jr. finally closed Tuesday after the state negotiated plea deals with the final two defendants.Scott Hall, 46, of Clyde, and Adam White, 36, of Sandusky, both pleaded guilty to obstructing official business, a second-degree misdemeanor. In exchange, charges of murder and aggravated robbery were dismissed.Sheppard's mother, Rosalie Gottwald, held back tears in the Huron County Common Pleas Court as Judge James Conway sentenced the men to time already served and a fine."This has been a lengthy process," Conway said. "I hope that this will allow for some closure for the family."Case historyPerkins police began to investigate the disappearance of Michael Sheppard Jr. in May 2003 before it was turned over to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations in 2009.Tom Brokamp, an agent with the state, investigated the case for years and came to the conclusion Sheppard was killed in a drug dispute near the border of Erie and Huron counties, but his body was never recovered.In 2017, his investigation secured indictments on two counts of murder and one count of aggravated robbery against Hall, White and Joshua Stamm, 37, of Florida.As part of a plea agreement in October, Stamm admitted to shooting Sheppard. He pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and the other charges were dismissed.He was sentenced to three years in prison to be served at the same time as the unrelated weapon charges he's serving in a Florida prison.At his sentencing, members of Sheppard's family made it clear they weren't pleased and felt the justice system failed them.Plea agreementLast week, White entered into a plea agreement with the attorney general's office. He pleaded guilty to an amended charge of obstruction in exchange for the dismissal of the murder and robbery charges."I think (the plea agreement) was reasonable under the facts and circumstances of the case," White's attorney Troy Wisehart said. "My client is happy and he wants to move on with his life."The court scheduled sentencing the same day as Hall's final pretrial. Hall, however, ended up pleading guilty and was sentenced at the same time. His attorney, David Longo, was present.Christian Stickan, who represented the Ohio Attorney General's Office, said since 2003, the defendants denied having any knowledge of Sheppard's death when they actually did.Members of his family declined the opportunity to speak before sentencing on Tuesday. Hall already served the maximum for the charge and White had 23 days left, but Judge Conway said those would only have to be served if he violated probation.Wisehart spoke on White's behalf and said White hopes Sheppard's family finds closure and he wanted to move on with his life.Search for SheppardBrokamp has long suspected Sheppard's body is buried in the wooded area behind Fox Lane, a private road off U.S. 250, but multiple searches haven't turned up anything.When Stamm provided new information on Sheppard's death, they returned to the area and searched for several days in October before calling it off.The bureau returned Monday with Texas EquuSearch — an organization specializing finding missing persons — to the area near Rattlesnake Creek under U.S. 250 to conduct a search.Wisehart said he couldn't comment on if White provided information to investigators, but a confidential source told the Register White said he pointed to the area at the base of the hill, where Sheppard is supposedly buried.EquuSearch founder Tim Miller is on the scene and said he's optimistic they may finally be able to return Sheppard's remains to his family.On Monday, they found a handgun magazine. Miller said based on information supplied by Stamm, Sheppard was shot multiple times and this could be a sign they're getting closer."It's just kind of odd we'd find it in the area we have a lot of interest in," Miller said. "We are digging slowly because we don't want to destroy anything."Reach reporter Michael Harrington at michaelharrington@sanduskyregister.com, follow the Register at Facebook.com/SanduskyRegisterAdam White, far right, and Scott Hall, far left, were sentenced Tuesday in the Huron County Common Pleas Court for obstructing the investigation into Michael Sheppard Jr.'s death. They appeared with their attorneys David Longo and Troy Wisehart.