Kenneth Upchurch has been sentenced to prison in Toledo for a fraud and retaliation case tied to an alleged brake line cutting scheme. A Lucas County judge ordered him to serve two years behind bars, court records show, marking the latest step in a case that grew out of messages sent to a restaurant manager.
Upchurch, 41, and Amanda Lancaster, 41, were sentenced for the incident that happened in November 2025, according to court records. Judge Lori Olender sentenced Upchurch to two years in prison on Aug. 25 after he pleaded guilty to telecommunications fraud and a charge of retaliation.
Olender sentenced Lancaster to two years of probation on Sept. 15. Lancaster pleaded guilty to telecommunications fraud on Aug. 6, according to court documents. As part of Lancaster’s probation, she is to have no contact with Upchurch.
Court documents allege the couple sent several text messages and an email to Lancaster’s boss at The Old Bag of Nails restaurant on Nov. 7, 2025. They posed as the woman’s probation officer and asked her supervisor to excuse her for being late to work.
Officers said the couple sent the fraudulent messages because they were worried Lancaster would be fired for her tardiness. The manager had reported having issues with Lancaster and Upchurch causing problems with staff at the restaurant, according to police records.
Parking lot allegation
Upchurch is also facing charges of attempted murder and felonious assault for an alleged incident in the Old Bag of Nails parking lot about a week later. On Nov. 16, a manager of the restaurant reported seeing Upchurch use a tool to cut the brake line of the motorcycle she had driven to work that day.
Multiple other employees told officers they also saw Upchurch cut the brake line. The sentencing in the fraud case does not resolve those pending charges, which remain active in Toledo court filings.
Toledo Municipal Court and the Lucas County Common Pleas Court handle misdemeanor and felony cases that arise in Toledo. A sentencing for an aggravated or violent charge typically follows a separate plea or trial in the higher court.
