By Margie Wuebker
mwuebker@dailystandard.com A Montezuma man has been charged with felonious assault in connection with an April 7 altercation at his home that led to the stabbing of two local residents.
Steven A. Schmitt, 32, 5352 Windy Point Road, remains in the Mercer County Jail on a $100,000 cash bond.
A preliminary hearing is set for 11 a.m. Thursday in Celina Municipal Court. The case, which involves a second-degree felony, likely will be heard when a Mercer County grand jury convenes next week.
Mercer County Sheriff's deputies responded to Schmitt's home at 1 a.m. April 7 on reports of a possible stabbing.
Schmitt allegedly became involved in a dispute with family and friends that turned violent. The charge alleges he stabbed 32-year-old Brian Noggler. Noggler reportedly sustained multiple wounds to the back and remains under treatment at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton.
Noggler's girlfriend, Donna Springer, 25, 2664 state Route 29, Celina, sustained a single knife wound to the arm. She was in the process of trying to separate the men and received what Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey called a defensive wound. Springer is the sister of Schmitt's wife, Angela.
The injured couple were taken by ambulance to Mercer County Community Hospital in Coldwater, where Springer was treated then released. Noggler was transferred to Dayton aboard a CareFlight emergency helicopter due to the severity of the wounds.
Deputies recovered a kitchen knife from the scene, but Schmitt was no longer at the home. He was arrested several days later after deputies found him packing clothing and other belongings at the Windy Point home. He initially was held on a probation violation in connection with an unrelated Miami County case.
If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of eight years in prison and a $15,000 fine.
Deputies were assisted in the investigation by special agent Keith Williamson from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification. They executed search warrants at the Windy Point home as well as an undisclosed Celina location. |
