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Man accused of touching boy ruled incompetent

LISBON — A 35-year-old Columbiana man accused of sexually touching a young boy in 2014 and 2015 was found incompetent to aid in his own defense.

During a brief hearing this week, Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge C. Ashley Pike said an evaluation of Shawn M. Peddicord, Columbiana-Lisbon Road, determined he was not competent and would most likely not become competent within the next year regardless of any therapy or medication.

It was the second evaluation conducted after Assistant County Prosecutor Timothy McNicol had asked for a second opinion of an evaluation completed prior to a hearing in January. McNicol said this evaluation left him with little choice but to make a motion to dismiss the indictment against Peddicord.

Defense attorney James Hartford and Pike agreed and the charges were dismissed with prejudice. One woman angrily left the courtroom in the middle of the hearing.

Peddicord had been charged with gross sexual imposition and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles. He was accused of sexually touching a boy, who would have been 8 or 9 at the time of the alleged offenses. Additionally, he allegedly sent a pornographic video to the boy.

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