Hubbard man pleads no contest to bigamy
Staff report
WARREN
Michael Wilms, 35, of Gladys Street in Hubbard resolved his misdemeanor bigamy case in Warren Municipal Court on a promise to divorce one of his two wives.
Wilms pleaded no contest to the charge Jan. 22 and was placed on one year’s probation with the possibility of six months in the Trumbull County Jail if he fails to meet the requirements of his probation.
The sheriff’s office filed the charge in June after Wilms’ first wife called from Mercer, Pa., telling Trumbull County authorities Wilms was getting married again without divorcing her.
By the time Maj. Thomas Stewart was able to contact Wilms, his marriage in a Hubbard Township church already had taken place. Wilms admitted he lied on the application for his June marriage by indicating he had never been married before.
Wilms’ misdemeanor falsification charge was dismissed in exchange for his plea.
Nick Graham, assistant Warren law director, said this is the only bigamy charge he has prosecuted during his 14 years in Warren Municipal Court.
Graham said the bigamy charge could have been amended or dismissed if Wilms would have completed his divorce from his first marriage in time.
But the case was approaching 6 months old, so Wilms pleaded no contest instead, with Wilms telling the court he would complete the divorce as soon as possible, Graham said.
Wilms told Stewart he knew he was still married to his first wife, but his new bride had made plans for their wedding, a lot of money had been invested and he “didn’t want to let her down” by not going through with the wedding.
Wilms said he’d lived in Ohio about three years, moving from Pennsylvania, and had tried but failed to handle the dissolution of his 2002 marriage to Amber Wilms by himself.
Stewart said he also talked to Alison Tucci, the woman Wilms married in June, and told her that her marriage to Wilms was void because no person can get married while already married to someone else.