What was supposed to be a sentencing hearing Monday for a man convicted of drug crimes in Belmont County Common Pleas Court could not come to pass — as the man to be sentenced skipped the hearing.

A warrant was issued Monday afternoon for 55-year-old James Kempf. He was supposed to be sentenced on a charge of first-degree felony possession of and trafficking in cocaine and fentanyl. When that hearing was supposed to begin before Belmont Common Pleas Court Judge John Vavra, Kempf’s attorney Don Tennant was there.

Kempf, however, was not.

“I’m very disappointed he’s not here,” Tennant said. “Based upon circumstances in the case, the court granted him pre-sentence bail on his own recognizance,” Tennant said.

Kempf was arrested in May 2024 in Bellaire after he, Christopher Franklin and Mon

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