dme court

A district judge dismissed charges against four Ohio men accused of imprisoning a woman and cutting her hair after the woman did not attend a preliminary hearing Thursday, Jan. 22, to testify.

Without the woman’s testimony, assistant district attorney J.P. Culzer did not have enough evidence to prosecute the accused men: Aiden Nasir Suren, 20; David Anthony Anderson, 18; Resean Jamar Graham, 19, all of Youngstown; and Elijah Josiah Roberts, 21, of Columbus.

The Thursday preliminary hearing was the third scheduled since charges were filed by Butler Township police Oct. 30. A hearing scheduled Nov. 6 was continued, and a material witness warrant was issued after a scheduled Dec. 11 hearing to have the woman appear at Thursday’s hearing.

The material witness warrant was never successfully executed. Arresting Butler Township officer Tyler Glenn said at a previous hearing he was unable to serve the assaulted woman with a warrant to appear in court. Attorney Matthew Mangino previously said the woman had been evading being served a warrant.

Suren, Graham and Roberts were represented by attorneys Mangino, Josh Snyder and public defender Patrick Casey, respectively. Anderson did not have an attorney.

Mangino said without the woman’s testimony, the officer’s testimony would have been based on hearsay. According to the Pennsylvania Code, hearsay cannot be the sole reason charges are held for court.

The men were accused of cornering the woman in a bathroom after alleging she stole from them. The woman alleged the men held her down, cut her hair, burned her with hot water, whipped her with a cord and punched, kicked and slapped her in a Division Street apartment. She alleged the men also stole her wallet, purse and phone so she could not call for help.

The woman reportedly sustained several lacerations, burns, cuts and bruises all over her body. She was taken by Butler Ambulance Service to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, police said.

According to a criminal complaint, police investigated the bathroom and found a pair of clippers and hair all over the floor.

Suren had been charged with one felony count each of aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault; and one misdemeanor count each of false imprisonment, unlawful restraint, terroristic threats, simple assault and conspiracy to commit unlawful restraint and simple assault.

Roberts had been charged with felony conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and one misdemeanor count each of false imprisonment, possession of controlled substances and drug paraphernalia, conspiracy to commit false imprisonment, unlawful restraint and simple assault. Police said oxycodone was found in Roberts’ right sock.

Anderson and Graham had been charged with felony conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and one misdemeanor count each of false imprisonment and conspiracy to commit unlawful restraint, false imprisonment and simple assault.