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LISBON -- Anthony Anderson, a Youngstown man accused of complicity to robbery in the heist of a downtown East Liverpool Home Savings and Loan in 2017, has asked for yet another motion to be filed, delaying his jury trial.
On Friday, Anderson's attorney, Coleen Hall Dailey, said Anderson has requested she file a motion asking to change his plea to not guilty by reason of insanity. She asked Anderson be evaluated to see if his mental state at the time of the alleged crime fits such a plea.
Assistant County Prosecutor Ryan Weikart noted he was frustrated that the case has been pending for a very long time. Anderson, 46, has been in custody for 19 months, since the alleged robbery in June of 2017. Weikart stated every time the matter gets close to being brought to trial, it gets delayed.
The case was scheduled for a jury trial to begin on Tuesday. Prior to that it was scheduled for a trial in September 2017, as well as May, August and November of 2018. Anderson was evaluated once to see if he was competent to assist in his own defense in March of 2018. Dailey is his second public defender.
The case is now in front of Judge Megan Bickerton, who until recently served as an assistant county prosecutor and handled cases for some time in East Liverpool. However, Bickerton assured the attorneys during Friday's hearing that she did not have any prior knowledge of this case, nor was she the one responsible for handling Anderson's preliminary hearing when he came through East Liverpool Municipal Court.
Bickerton agreed to delay the trial while Anderson is evaluated.
Anderson's co-defendant, Joseph Derrico, 29, Youngstown, pleaded guilty to the robbery in March 2018 and was sentenced in August to four years in prison. He is currently serving time at the Lake Erie Correctional Institute.
Derrico was the one who went into the Home Savings and handed a note to the teller during the robbery on June 5, 2017. Prosecutors believe Anderson helped to plan the robbery, encouraged Derrico to commit the crime, helped him pick out items to disguise his appearance, provided him with transportation to and from the robbery and shared in the proceeds.