Oct 17, 2006 By The 2 min read

The state Superior Court vacated a Greene County man’s three- to 23.5-month prison sentence for his July 2005 conviction on a second-degree felony charge of forgery and ordered that he be re-sentenced for a third-degree felony charge of forgery. Joshua Russell Ryan, 51, was found guilty of one count of forgery for allegedly forging a work inspection document containing the name of Franklin Township zoning officer Steven Coss.

Ryan, according to court documents, requested payment for work he performed for the Econo Lodge Motel in 2004, but the manager requested that the zoning officer certify the work before he would give Ryan his final payment.

In charges filed on July 30, 2004, state police alleged that Ryan forged the certification containing Coss’s signature.

Police charged Ryan with two counts of forgery, deceptive or fraudulent business practices and theft by unlawful taking.

The forgery charges were originally filed as third-degree felony counts, but were upgraded to second-degree charges in September 2004.

At his July 2005 trial in Greene County Common Pleas Court, the deceptive business practices and theft charges were dismissed and the jury found Ryan not guilty of one of the forgery charges.

In its ruling granting Ryan’s appeal, the Superior Court said the offense did not rise to the level of a second-degree felony.