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LISBON -- A Wellsville man injured two security bailiffs Monday when he attempted to escape from the Columbiana County Courthouse after being sentenced to prison for a year on multiple counts, including aggravated assault.
Now he's potentially facing more time, with Sheriff Brian McLaughlin saying charges expected to be filed for this incident include two counts of felony assault against police officers, felony escape and resisting arrest.
Timothy J. Reaggle, who will turn 21 on Wednesday, of Y & O Road, Wellsville, was tased and taken to the ground at the bottom of the stairway leading to the front doors of the courthouse after scrambling down the stairs from the second floor with a deputy in pursuit, met by another deputy and a detective at the bottom of the stairs on the first floor.
Reaggle had been in Common Pleas Court before Judge Scott Washam for a 1 p.m. sentencing hearing. He was handcuffed in the front by security bailiff Keith Thorn and was crying as he was escorted out of the courtroom.
According to witnesses, as Thorn was taking him down the hallway to be placed in a holding cell, Reaggle broke the handcuffs, turned around and punched Thorn, knocking him to the floor, then ran full speed, knocking security bailiff Steve Boyd down and running into the stairwell.
Deputy Sheriff Nick Rusyn chased after Reaggle down the steps trying to grab him, then Reaggle was met by Deputy Sheriff Coltan Vollnogle and Sheriff's Office Detective Jesse Smith, director of the Drug Task Force. Vollnogle said he broke free from them and was tased by Rusyn next to the security station on the first floor, going down the steps and being wrestled into custody where he was again handcuffed, taken outside and transported to the county jail. When he was running down the steps, Vollnogle could see the original handcuffs were broken.
Thorn, who's also a Wellsville village councilman, suffered what looked like an injury to his face and head and was taken by ambulance to an area hospital. Boyd said he was all right, but was being taken to a hospital by a family member to be checked out. Thorn was talking as the gurney was wheeled into the elevator, asking for his phone.
McLaughlin wasn't in the courthouse at the time, but said he heard the radio call and responded. At any one time, there can be multiple deputies inside the courthouse transporting prisoners and going to the office in the basement, with one deputy always at the security station/metal detector on the first floor, checking visitors as they enter.
"I think my staff did an excellent job," McLaughlin said, noting the prisoner never made it outside.
He said charges for this incident will be filed through county Municipal Court.
There were plenty of witnesses on the second floor.
"I've never seen anything like that in 35 years of practicing law," attorney Larry Stacey II said.
He was in the hallway and saw Thorn and the defendant walking down the hallway, then he said the defendant "turns around and cold cocked him." Stacey said the defendant then took off running at full speed and ran into Boyd, knocking him down, and then continued down the hall and down the stairs.
Leland Monte, of Wellsville, who was sitting in the hallway with his father, Daniel Monte Jr., awaiting a hearing before Judge Megan Bickerton, said he saw the Reaggle walk out and saw him fiddling with the handcuffs, he broke them, turned around and hit the sheriff (security bailiff).
"Just a crazy situation. I was really concerned for the officer. All I was thinking about was if the sheriff was okay," Leland said.
Both he and his father tried to help Thorn after the attack, with people from both courtrooms coming into the hallway to see what was going on.
Reaggle entered a guilty plea in July to charges from a 2025 case, to a lesser offense of third-degree felony aggravated burglary (originally a first-degree felony), a lesser offense of fourth-degree felony aggravated assault (originally second-degree felonious assault), a lesser offense of misdemeanor failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer (originally a felony), and misdemeanors of aggravated menacing and two counts of assault.
Reaggle assaulted three people on Feb. 14, 2025 in St. Clair Township, first headbutting a woman in the face after she told him to leave, then tackling and assaulting a man outside the residence. Another man reported that when Reaggle first came into the residence and began fighting with everyone, he held a knife to the man's neck, threatening him. He also fled from police.
Reaggle was out on bond at the time of the sentencing and was accompanied by a relative. During the sentencing hearing, county Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Weeda talked about the seriousness of the offenses. He recommended a sentence of 15 months in prison, while Reaggle's defense attorney Paul Conn talked about his client being a young offender who had never been in trouble before. He had requested community control.
Before issuing the sentence, Washam said he understood he wanted to get his stuff back from the residence, but he was concerned about him holding a knife to someone's throat. When asked if he had anything to say, Reaggle said he didn't.
Washam gave him a sentence of 12 months in prison, but as Reaggle was being handcuffed in the courtroom by Thorn, he muttered, "This is ####ing bull####."
Washam heard him and stopped him from being taken from the courtroom, went back on the record with the attorneys, and asked Reaggle if that's what he said. He admitted to it and tried to claim he didn't hold a knife to anyone's neck.
Washam chastised him and told him he could give him more jail time for that, but he wasn't going to, reminded him he had his chance to speak and wished him good luck.
Reaggle was crying as he left the courtroom, and Washam was preparing to start another hearing when a scuffle and shouting could be heard in the hallway, leading to the temporary escape and the injuries.