Lorain man gets 2 years for woman’s OD death

A Lorain man was sentenced to two years in prison for leaving an overdosing woman on the side of the road to die.

A 27-year-old Lorain man was sentenced to two years in prison Jan. 3 for leaving an overdosing woman on the side of the road to die in April.

Gregory D. Ralston, of Marshall Avenue, pleaded guilty Dec. 20, 2017, to reckless homicide, corrupting another with drugs, tampering with evidence and two counts of trafficking in drugs.

According to court officials, Ralston requested a continuance on his sentencing because his grandmother is gravely ill.

But Lorain County Common Pleas Judge Christopher R. Rothgery denied the request.

As part of his sentence, Ralston’s driver’s license will be suspended for two years.

Another defendant in the case, Anthony D. Barker, 24, of Elyria, is serving a year in jail.

Barker pleaded guilty Sept. 20 to reckless homicide and tampering with evidence.

The cases stem from the discovery of the body of 29-year-old Naomi M. Caulfield of Elyria near Old Fowl Road in Elyria on April 12, 2017.

Caulfield was discovered early in the morning along the tree line between Old Fowl and Albrecht by a woman walking her dog, police said.

Through their investigation, detectives discovered Caulfield had been at Barker’s Raleigh Drive home April 11 along with three males.

Ralston provided Caulfield with drugs, police said.

When she began showing signs of an overdose, they loaded the woman into the back of a 2009 Ford Escape and dumped her on an isolated section of the road.

Barker and Ralston told police she was breathing and had a pulse when they left her, but made no attempt to seek medical attention or to alert authorities to her location, according to authorities.

A member of Caulfield’s family was present for Ralston’s sentencing but declined to address the court.

In his own statement before the sentence was handed down, Ralston told Rothgery he grew up in a bad neighborhood.

“That’s not who I am,” he said, according to an official transcript of the hearing. “Ever since I had my son, my whole lifestyle has changed.

“I’m not a bad person how everything is seeming. I tried to stay out of trouble.”

Ralston requested Rothgery schedule a report date for him to begin serving his sentence, but Rothgery denied the request.

Ralston was remanded to the custody of the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office for transport to a prison.