Middle Point man convicted of tampering with evidence
Jun. 13—VAN WERT — A Middle Point man charged with a felony count of tampering with evidence in connection with the 2016 disappearance of a Van Wert man was convicted by a Van Wert County jury last week following a three-day trial.
The verdict against Dale Gear, 57, was handed down Wednesday in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court. He faces up to three years in prison when he is sentenced July 27.
Gear was indicted by a grand jury in August 2021 on the tampering charge, a third-degree felony. The original indictment alleged that Gear did, on or about June 24, 2016, "alter, destroy, conceal or remove" possible evidence related to the disappearance of Kori Glossett, who had been missing since his birthday on June 16, 2016.
Prosecutors in December sought and received court approval to amend the indictment to expand the time frame of the alleged offense through July 27 of last year. Thursday's hearing will take place in front of Van Wert County Common Pleas Judge Martin Burchfield.
Investigators twice searched Gear's property, searching for evidence that could be linked to Glossett's disappearance. A search warrant was executed on Gear's property at 304 S. Adams St. in Middle Point on July 27, 2021. On the scene were officers from the Van Wert County Sheriff's Office, the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Evidence Response Team and the Van Wert Police Department.
Investigators were at the same location in October of 2016 looking for clues in the disappearance of Glossett, whose father had reported him missing on July 21.
During the investigation, it was learned that Gear had bonded Glossett out of jail on June 24, 2016, and that Glossett had spent the following night at Gear's residence before being dropped off the following morning in Van Wert. Glossett has not been seen since that time.
Prosecutors say Gear provided statements to investigators that "were not truthful."
