(7-11-26) Cindy Hague (46) was booked by the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office on a 3rd degree felony of obstructing justice, false information.

She is awaiting a Mercer County Common Pleas Court hearing.

Ohio law, a third-degree felony charge of obstructing justice involving false information generally falls under Ohio Revised Code 2921.32.

A person may be charged with obstructing justice if, with the purpose of hindering the discovery, apprehension, prosecution, conviction, or punishment of another person for a crime, they knowingly engage in prohibited conduct, which can include:

  • Communicating false information to law enforcement.
  • Warning a suspect of impending discovery or arrest.
  • Concealing or destroying evidence.
  • Harboring or assisting a person to avoid apprehension.

When is it a third-degree felony?

The degree of the obstructing justice charge depends on the seriousness of the underlying offense committed by the person being helped. It is generally a third-degree felony when the person being assisted is suspected of or has committed a first-degree or second-degree felony (or certain other serious offenses).

Penalties

For a third-degree felony in Ohio, the court may impose:

  • Prison: Generally 9 to 36 months (some third-degree felonies have different sentencing ranges depending on the offense, but obstructing justice typically falls within the standard range).
  • Fine: Up to $10,000.
  • Community control (probation) may be available in some cases, depending on the facts, the defendant’s criminal history, and applicable sentencing laws.

“False information”

Simply giving incorrect information is not automatically obstructing justice. Prosecutors generally must prove that the person:

  1. Knowingly provided false information, and
  2. Did so with the purpose of helping another person avoid investigation, arrest, prosecution, conviction, or punishment.