The father of the 1-year old child who was found dead and secretly buried in the woods at the edge of Hillsboro three years ago was sentenced to prison this week after he was found to have violated his community control.
Ian Andrew Niehaus, 31, Hillsboro, was sentenced to 18 months in prison. As previously reported, Niehaus pled guilty to third-degree felony illegal assembly or possession of chemicals for the manufacture of drugs in December of 2014 and was originally sentenced to community control.
The Times-Gazette reported in April that Niehaus’s community control was continued after he admitted to violating his probation by failing to report, consuming drugs, and failing to complete his previously ordered treatment. He was also ordered to complete residential treatment at that time.
According to a notification from the probation department, provided by the court, Niehaus was terminated from the STAR program last month.
He appeared in court on Wednesday and “admitted that he had violated the terms of his community control sanctions,” as stated in a court document.
Niehaus was the father of 1-year-old Garin Niehaus, who was discovered buried in a wooded area off Diven Road, just outside Hillsboro in 2013. The child’s mother, Whitney Johnson, along with boyfriend Nathan Ritze each entered Alford pleas in the baby’s death and were each sentenced to seven years in prison.
An Alford plea does not admit the criminal act and asserts innocence, but admits that the evidence would likely persuade a judge or jury to find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Community control was also revoked for three other defendants this week. Court records show that:
• Amanda Christ, 30, Hillsboro, was sentenced to 22 months in prison on fifth-degree felonies trafficking in drugs and trafficking in counterfeit drugs.
• Kimra Snyder, 25, Greenfield, also received 22 months in prison. She was convicted on fourth-degree felonies aggravated trafficking in drugs and trafficking in drugs in the vicinity of a school.
• Melissa K. Harris, Xenia, was sentenced to 12 months. She was previously found guilty of fifth-degree felony possession of heroin.
