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LISBON -- A Leetonia man had the three criminal cases against him in Columbiana County Municipal Court dismissed after he was found not competent and not able to be restored to competency.
Jonathan D. Cook, 43, Oak Street, was ordered sent back to Heartland Behavioral Healthcare after the hearing Wednesday.
Cook had been examined by the Forensic Psychiatric Center of Northeast Ohio and based on the report, Judge Danielle Menning found him not competent and noted there was not a substantial probability that he will become competent. She then dismissed all three cases, which included threats against a woman and her family in Leetonia.
Cook was charged with menacing for allegedly making threats to seriously injure or cause the death of the woman and her family by saying he would take a hatchet to them, an affidavit said. The threat occurred April 23 during a group counseling session at the Columbiana County jail where Cook has been held since an April 6 incident in Leetonia.
For the April 6 incident, he was charged with aggravated menacing, criminal damaging, resisting arrest, obstructing official business and disorderly conduct for allegedly throwing a metal knife, an axe, a frying pan, a steel tumbler and car parts at the side of a neighboring residence in close proximity of a window that one of three victims was standing behind as he screamed profanities at all of them on Oak Street in Leetonia, an affidavit said.
He then refused to exit his residence as Leetonia officers attempted to place him in custody and barricaded himself in his house by placing a propane tank and numerous items against the rear door.
A third case was for disorderly conduct for allegedly screaming profusely while inside and outside his residence causing neighbors to call emergency services on two separate occasions and also for striking and punching multiple things inside the residence on Feb. 13. Leetonia Police had allegedly warned him on multiple occasions.