By Margie Wuebker
mwuebker@dailystandard.com A Celina man will not be heading to class with fellow seniors next week after being indicted on a trio of felony charges.
Jesse J. Lange, 18, 433 Touvelle St., appeared Friday morning in Mercer County Common Pleas Court on charges of intimidation of a witness, robbery and abduction, all third-degree felonies.
Lange said little as he sat beside defense attorney Jim Tesno except to confirm he had received a copy of the indictment and understood the contents.
The judge explained the intimidation case had been transferred from Celina Municipal Court, where authorities filed the charge Monday. The case was taken before the grand jury Thursday and additional charges were brought in the indictment.
Mercer County Assistant Prosecutor Matt Fox requested a $50,000 cash bond given the seriousness of the offenses. The amount is $15,000 more than the bond set earlier in Celina Municipal Court. Tesno requested a lower bond, explaining Lange has ties to the community and wants to attend school with his friends.
Judge Jeffrey Ingraham ruled the issue of bond would be reviewed during an arraignment hearing set for 2 p.m. Sept. 3. In the meantime, the defendant will remain at the Mercer County Jail unless someone posts the entire bond.
Celina Police were dispatched to a Sugar Street residence on Monday in reference to alleged threats. A man residing there reportedly answered the door and observed two men standing there. One of the subjects, whom he identified as Lange, spoke of receiving a warrant earlier for allegedly stealing the resident's AK-47 assault rifle
The man, identified in court records as John Doe, told police he started to close the door at which point Lange allegedly threatened to kick the door down, come inside and beat all the occupants. According to court records, Lange apparently tried to get the man to go to the police department and tell officers he never took the weapon.
Charges of receiving stolen property (the assault rifle) were filed against Lange on Aug. 6 in Celina Municipal Court.
If convicted, each felony charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. |
