BUTLER COUNTY — One of the men charged in the death of a pregnant woman whose body was found in rural Montgomery County has pleaded guilty.
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James Rothenbusch, 52, pleaded guilty to one count of complicity to tampering with evidence on Jan. 8, according to Butler County Common Pleas Court records.
The maximum sentence for this charge is 36 months in prison, court records show.
Several charges were dismissed, including gross abuse of a corpse, aggravated possession of drugs, illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia, and failure to report knowledge of a death.
His sentencing has been scheduled for Feb. 12.
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Ricky Sheppard, 47, and Walter Wade, 44, were also charged in the death of Brittany Fuhr-Storms, 28.
Court records show that both men are facing gross abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence charges.
Sheppard’s trial is scheduled to begin on March 16, while Wade’s is scheduled for March 9.
However, records show that Sheppard will appear in court on Feb. 5.
As previously reported by News Center 7, Fuhr-Storms’ body was found in a plastic tote sealed with wood screws in the area on Manning Road and Anthony Road near Twin Creek in Jackson Township on Aug. 3.
Investigators revealed that Fuhr-Storms had been pregnant when she died.
A joint investigation between the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and Middletown Police led investigators to an apartment in Middletown, where investigators believe Fuhr-Storms visited two men and later died.
A search warrant was executed at Rotherbusch’s apartment. He was detained at the scene.
While investigators were in his residence, they saw items related to the death investigation, which led to a second search warrant.
The search warrant shows what police found around the apartment — a suspected blood stain on the carpet, a blue tarp, screws, and a set of towels that match the description of the ones found with Fuhr-Storm’s body.
While being interviewed by investigators, Rotherbusch said Fuhr-Storms had died under suspicious circumstances in his home.
He also admitted to keeping her body in the residence for around four days.
A second suspect, Rick Sheppard, was later located in Middletown.
He told investigators that Fuhr-Storm died in the home, but he said she stayed in the house for nearly a week before being left in Jackson Twp.
“He (Sheppard) later stated that the deceased died from a drug overdose and she remained in the house for approximately a week,” Deputy Chief Ryan Morgan, of Middletown Police, previously said.
Both Rotherbusch and Sheppard admitted to knowing she was pregnant, investigators confirmed.
A third suspect, Wade, was arrested and charged in this case in December, according to a previous News Center 7 report.
We will continue to follow this story.
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