Man, 28, charged with bloody assault on mother, 63

CELINA - A Fort Recovery man on Wednesday was arraigned in Mercer County Common Pleas Court on felonious assault and strangulation charges after allegedly attacking his mother last month.

Joshua B. Pohl, 28, was arraigned on one count of felonious assault, a second-degree felony; and one count of strangulation, a third-degree felony.

If convicted on both charges, he faces up to 11 years in prison and a maximum fine of $25,000.

Pohl pleaded not guilty and was appointed county public defender Thomas Lucente Jr.

At about 9:50 p.m. on Jan. 24, Mercer County Sheriff's Office deputies were dispatched to the 1300 block of Fort Recovery Minster Road on a report of domestic violence, according to an affidavit.

Upon arrival, officers reportedly encountered an unidentified woman, 63, who had a substantial amount of blood on her face. She told police that her son, Pohl, had allegedly attacked her.

Police reportedly found Pohl in the fetal position on the living room floor inside the residence with clumps of hair in his fists. Police noticed blood on the walls and floor of the residence and on Pohl's shirt, according to the affidavit.

The woman allegedly told police that Pohl was upset when she arrived home at about 5:45 p.m. because he didn't think she was taking good care of the family dog.

At one point, Pohl asked his mother to come over to him, the affidavit states. He reportedly informed her that "she was evil and that he has to take out evil."

Pohl allegedly grabbed his mother and started choking her and screaming that he was going to kill her, according to the affidavit.

"Victim started to bleed heavily from the face and nose," the affidavit reads. "This caused Josh to slip … The victim got up and tried to get away. Joshua grabbed a big handful of her hair … causing him to pull out a large portion of her hair."

The woman then grabbed her keys and fled to a neighbor's house, according to police reports.

Pohl is being held in Mercer County jail on $150,000 bond and not allowed any contact with his mother. His next court date is unknown.