On Thursday, July 19, 2012, DOUGLAS WITHERS (d.o.b. 3/05/1973) was sentenced on multiple felony cases to ten (10) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections after pleading guilty on May 10, 2012. Withers was sentenced by Taney County Circuit Court Judge Mark Orr on five (5) different felony counts from four (4) separate cases.

For the class D felony of fraudulent use of a credit device, Withers got a four (4) year sentence, and for the class C felony of forgery he got a ten (10) year sentence. Each of those felony offenses stemmed from a different incident. The remaining three (3) felonies were the result of physically assaulting his ex-wife. In one case, Withers was sentenced to seven (7) years for felonious restraint and ten (10) years for domestic assault in the second degree. In the other case, Withers got another ten (10) years in prison for domestic assault in the second degree. The sentences are all concurrent to each other.

The felony of fraudulent use of a credit device is a class D felony, which carries a maximum sentence of four (4) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections and/or a fine not to exceed $5,000.00. The crimes of forgery, felonious restraint, and domestic assault in the second degree are each class C felonies, which carry a maximum sentence of seven (7) years in prison and/or a fine not to exceed $5,000.00. However, the Taney County Prosecutor’s Office charged Withers as a prior and persistent offender, meaning he had at least two (2) previous felony convictions. This charging decision enhanced the possible maximum sentence to fifteen (15) years in prison – the same as that of a class B felony.