LISBON –A Leetonia man found competent to stand trial for the alleged assault of a sheriff’s deputy was ordered evaluated for sanity at the time of the offense.

Randy May, 47, Mill Street, was charged last year with fourth-degree felony assault for allegedly striking a deputy in his side and then striking him again during an incident at his Leetonia residence when deputies responded for a person having a mental health crisis on April 11, 2024..

During a recent hearing in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court, he was found restored to competency, but was ordered evaluated by the Forensic Psychiatric Center of Northeast Ohio for his sanity, with a status hearing set for Aug. 15.

He was also ordered evaluated for the ability to plead not guilty by reason of insanity for an alleged felonious assault that left a Leetonia police officer injured last fall. His attorney, Charley Kidder, filed a written plea of not guilty by reason of insanity for that case.

He had been restored to competency for that case, also. He’s charged with two counts of felonious assault and one count of aggravated robbery, all first-degree felonies for his attack against Leetonia police officer John Hancock. He was accused of using a 2-foot-long solid steel rod to beat Hancock about the head and face on Oct. 21, 2024 on Pearl Street. The assault caused injury to Hancock, including a broken ankle.

There were two counts of felonious assault in the indictment, one for causing harm to a police officer and one for using a deadly weapon. The robbery charge stemmed from May grabbing for Hancock’s service weapon.

mgreier@mojonews.com