More charges for Blasdel break-in suspect
LISBON — A man accused of breaking into the home of state Rep. Monica Robb Blasdel and Seventh District Court of Appeals Judge Carol Robb and another nearby residence last month is facing more charges after being indicted Wednesday.
Nathan A. Johnson, 29, West Railroad Street, Columbiana, was charged by the Columbiana County Grand Jury with first-degree felony aggravated burglary, second-degree felonies of felonious assault, and burglary, third-degree felonies of robbery and attempted burglary, fourth-degree felony disrupting public services and misdemeanor theft.
He remains jailed under a $500,000 cash or surety bond.
The indictment alleged the incidents occurred on July 15 and named Charles Blasdel as the victim for two of the charges related to the theft of his cell phone and Johnson’s alleged use of force during the theft. A former state representative himself, Charles Blasdel is the husband of Monica Blasdel.
According to the affidavit filed in county Municipal Court by county Sheriff’s Office Detective Jen Calko regarding the first-degree felony aggravated burglary charge, a victim identified as C.R.B. II said a man he wasn’t familiar with, later identified as Johnson, pulled into his drive at the Hatcher Road property in New Waterford at a fast rate of speed and exited his truck, approaching the male victim in an aggressive manner. The affidavit said Johnson demanded to know where the homeowners were.
“The defendant assaulted the victim by punching him in the head and knocking him to the ground,” the affidavit said.
Eventually the defendant, Johnson, began to walk away from the residence, and “then came back in an aggressive manner again, picked a chair up and threw it through the front door window, breaking it and reaching through the broken glass to unlock the door to gain entry. The defendant then entered the residence without permission. There was an 8-year-old child locked in a room just inside the main door,” the affidavit said.
For the fourth-degree felony charge of disrupting public services, another affidavit again identified the victim as C.R.B. II and said Johnson “picked up a wooden chair, broke through a glass door on the west side of the residence, and then entered the residence, and stole the victim’s cell phone out of his hand as he was calling 911, then left the residence with the victim’s cell phone.”
Charles Blasdel’s name was on the sheriff’s report. The incident occurred at the residence where Robb Blasdel lives with her family, including her husband, their children, her mother Judge Carol Robb and her father Ken.
According to the call log for the sheriff’s report, East Palestine police transferred a 911 call to the sheriff’s office at 3:39 p.m. July 15 from a male not making sense, from a phone for Nathan Johnson, who “just kept saying send help to Judge Robb’s house and kept saying she took his fiance.” Robb Blasdel was not home but reported receiving a text from her husband that said to send police. At 4:03 p.m., there was a notation about a call from Robb Blasdel that she evacuated but her husband was still there and the male subject busted down the door and took his cell phone. According to the call log, Johnson went to another residence on Hatcher Road and forced his way in looking for a woman.
At least two of the charges against Johnson deal with the alleged entry into the other residence.
Arraignment is set for 1 p.m. Aug. 28. The case has been assigned to Common Pleas Court Judge Megan Bickerton.