Suspects Remain in Jail after Bond Hearings
Three more suspects have been arrested in connection to a robbery, home invasion and attempted kidnapping of an Amish child that occurred in Middlefield Township Oct. 9.
Three more suspects have been arrested in connection to a robbery, home invasion and attempted kidnapping of an Amish child that occurred in Middlefield Township Oct. 9.
Two of the suspects, William Hatfield, 44, of Massillon, and Randall Cromer, 36, of Doylestown, were taken into custody Oct. 15 and are both facing first-degree felony charges of kidnapping, with more charges forthcoming, Geauga County Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand said in a press release the same day.
A fourth man, Ricky Martin, 43, of Canton, was arrested Oct. 16 in Bainbridge Township and is facing a first-degree felony charge for complicity to commit aggravated robbery, Hildenbrand said in a follow-up press release.
Hatfield and Cromer, along with Bradford Hosler, 33, of Canton, are being accused of holding an Amish man’s 8-year-old son hostage while ransacking his home in search of money, officials said during an Oct. 14 press conference.
When the victim could not provide the men with any more money, the three became angry and attacked him, before dragging his son outside toward their truck, GCSO Lt. Jim Jonovich said at the conference.
The son was able to break free and escaped into a field. He later told law enforcement he believed he was going to be abducted and killed.
The son was put into a headlock and an electrical stunning device was used on both the father and son, law enforcement said at the conference.
Hatfield, Cromer and Hosler reportedly left the scene with an estimated $5,000. Hosler was arrested within 24 hours and was arraigned in the Chardon Municipal Court Oct. 14. He is currently being held at the Geauga County Safety Center on a $750,000 bond.
As of the Oct. 14 press conference, law enforcement were still working to capture the remaining two suspects.
A possible address associated with the two suspects was discovered and county detectives responded to the scene and conducted surveillance in the early morning of Oct. 15, Hildenbrand said in the release.
“Geauga County detectives contacted the United States Marshals Service Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force and requested assistance with serving arrest warrants on the suspects,” the sheriff said in the release. “William Hatfield and Randall Cromer were taken into custody by members of the NOVFTF from a residence located at 120 Niles Place, Canton, Ohio.”
The two will be transported back to the Geauga County Safety Center, Hildenbrand said, thanking the NOVFTF, the Canton, North Canton, Willoughby and Massillon police departments, the Stark County Sheriff’s Office, Metro Narcotics Unit and the Adult Parole Authority for their assistance.
The fourth suspect, Martin, is currently being held at the county jail, Hildenbrand said in the release.
“It is alleged that Martin, while functioning as an Amish taxi driver, would scout Amish-owned businesses, residences and properties, assessing their potential value as targets for burglaries, thefts and other criminal actions,” the sheriff said in the release. “Martin was operating a 2011 Chevy Suburban, silver in color, bearing Ohio Registration JTD4357. Anyone having utilized Martin as a driver and falling victim to a theft, burglary or other similar offense is urged to contact the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office at 440-286-1234 to speak with detectives.”
Hatfield, Cromer and Martin were all arraigned before Chardon Municipal Court Judge Terri Stupica Oct. 17.
Hatfield and Cromer are each being held on bonds of $750,000, while Martin is being held on a $500,000 bond.
All three men face maximum sentences of three to 11 years in prison and a maximum fine of $20,000, Stupica said.
Geauga County Prosecutor Jim Flaiz highlighted the men’s past criminal activity Friday morning.
“(Hatfield) has a disturbing criminal history. A lot of it is in Pennsylvania,” he said. “We did some digging on the Pennsylvania convictions and he’s got two aggravated robbery convictions in Pennsylvania, one where he held up a gas station at gunpoint,” Flaiz said. “The other one where he and a co-conspirator lured a Chinese restaurant delivery driver to a vacant home, hit him in the head with a baseball bat and robbed him.”
Hatfield was also recently released from an Ohio jail at the start of the year, Flaiz added.
Hatfield pleaded not guilty to his kidnapping charge, said his attorney, Carly Snavely.
“He has indicated largely what the prosecutor has. He does concede having a lengthy criminal history, largely driven by the disease of addiction, from which he suffers in conjunction with mental health conditions,” Snavely said. “He has no means to post bond. He has indicated a willingness to engage in services if the court would consider ordering a dual-diagnosis assessment while he is incarcerated.”
Flaiz noted Cromer also has an involved criminal history, including burglaries in 2008 and 2012, as well as four failures to appear in court in Georgia.
Cromer pleaded not guilty to his sole charge, said his attorney, Cory Hinton, adding he does not have the means to post bond.
Martin, who waived his right to an attorney, agreed to allow Stupica to set bail.
Martin allegedly planned the robbery and identified the victims due to his knowledge as an Amish taxi driver, Flaiz said.
“The state feels he is a danger to the community,” the prosecutor said. “As a taxi driver, he has access to the Amish community. And I’m showing that he did four years in prison out of a 2017 case for burglary, theft from the elderly and safe cracking.”
Martin’s bond was set at $500,000. Along with the standard bond conditions, Flaiz also requested that Martin not transport any Amish, which Stupica granted.
