Chester Men Face Aggravated Robbery, Kidnapping Charges
Ronald Delisio, 42, who, along with his brother, Kevin Delisio, 39, was recently indicted by a Geauga County grand jury for his alleged role in assaulting a tow truck driver Oct. 22, chose to represent himself at his arraignment Dec. 11.
Ronald Delisio, 42, who, along with his brother, Kevin Delisio, 39, was recently indicted by a Geauga County grand jury for his alleged role in assaulting a tow truck driver Oct. 22, chose to represent himself at his arraignment Dec. 11.
Appearing before Geauga County Common Pleas Judge Carolyn Paschke, Ronald, of Chester Township, filed paperwork with the court that he would represent himself, dismissing Geauga County Public Defender Robert Umholtz to sit in the gallery.
Umholtz was appointed as stand-by counsel, but did not consult with Ronald during the appearance.
“I want to advise you that I have some concerns about that,” Paschke said, citing Ronald’s lack of formal training as a lawyer. “I will advise you that these are some pretty serious charges and if you are convicted, could have some very serious, considerable consequences, including some considerable prison time.”
Ronald and his brother, also a Chester resident, have been charged with two counts of aggravated robbery and one count kidnapping — both first-degree felonies — and aggravated menacing and assault, misdemeanors. Ronald was charged with discharge of a firearm, another misdemeanor.
Chester Township police said as the tow truck driver secured a repossessed vehicle at Mayfield Church on Mayfield Road, “a vehicle approached rapidly, blocking his exit.”
“Two individuals exited the vehicle and confronted the operator, one of whom was armed with a handgun. The armed suspect pointed the firearm at the tow truck driver and demanded the immediate release of the repossessed vehicle,” Chester Chief Craig T. Young wrote in a release.
The tow truck driver was physically assaulted and forcibly removed from the tow truck at gunpoint, Young said.
“The armed assailant discharged the weapon in the direction of the victim prior to entering the repossessed vehicle and leaving the area,” the chief said.
During his court appearance Dec. 11, Ronald, who has remained in jail after failing to post a $500,000 cash or surety bond, told Paschke he would explore counsel in the future, but wished to file two motions with the court before the arraignment took place.
“At this point, I’m going to declare I am present and do not need to be represented,” he said, paging through documents while handcuffed.
“I would like to quash the indictment or basically discharge it,” Ronald said.
After 10 minutes of halting, at times awkward, back-and-forth dialogue between Delisio and the judge, Paschke accepted one motion and gave Assistant County Prosecutor Christian Bondra 14 days to respond to it before continuing the arraignment.
Kevin Delisio, out of jail after posting his 10 percent of $100,000 bond Nov. 1, is set to be arraigned Dec. 18 in the Geauga County Court of Common Pleas.
