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Failed Attempt By PA Man To Get Out Of Community Service Leads To Jail Sentence

WARREN, Pa. — A Youngsville man was sentenced to jail on Friday after trying to get out of community service by forging his probation officer’s signature.

Cody Alan Cox was sentenced by Judge Maureen Skerda for charges on two separate dockets due to the revocation of his eligibility for the ARD (Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition) program.

Cox, whose original charges of possession with intent to deliver, corruption of minors, possession of a small amount of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia were sentenced with ARD, found that ARD revoked after charges of forgery and unsworn falsification to authorities were brought against him in August of this year.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, Cox was ordered to perform 40 hours of community service as part of his sentencing guidelines on those earlier charges.

“Cox,” the affidavit states, “performed four hours of community service on Sept. 4, 2015, and (had that signed by an officer). Then on Sept. 7 and 10, 2015, Cox forged (that officer’s) name two more times saying he did 16 more hours of community service. Then one last time on May 11, 2016, he forged her name and lied about four more hours, making it 40 total hours that he lied about working.

“Cox admitted to forging (the officer’s) name five separate times. He also wrote on the form that he ‘picked up trash, gardened, and listened well.'”

On the original count of possession with intent to deliver, Cox was sentenced to 11-1/2 to 23 months in Warren County Jail with early re-entry and work release.

On counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and forgery, Cox was sentenced to one year and three years of probation, respectively. He was ordered to complete 70 hours of community service.

“He simply didn’t complete community service and… thought he could forge a signature to get out of it,” said Greene.

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