MAHONING COUNTY Man in jail without bond for judge threats

The Sprucewood Court man will return to court next week.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- A man charged with threatening to kill a Mahoning County Common Pleas Court magistrate remains in jail without bond.
Mark Tekach, 36, Sprucewood Court, appeared Monday before Judge David D'Apolito of Mahoning County Court.
Tekach was charged last week with retaliation after police say he left several messages on his former girlfriend's cellular phone threatening to kill Robert Bannon, a magistrate who hears cases involving civil protection orders.
Tekach also said in the messages that he'd kill any township police officers who tried to arrest him, and he threatened suicide.
The woman had a protection order against Tekach, and the pair had been scheduled to appear before Bannon on Monday.
At the time of the retaliation charge, Tekach was out on a $13,500 bond for two counts of resisting arrest, burglary, disorderly conduct and assault.
He was accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend, breaking into her home and becoming combative with police on three occasions between April 7 and April 9.
Atty. Damian Billak, who represented Tekach, said Tekach's parents posted the bond in the other cases, and he requested reasonable bond for the retaliation charge.
Kenneth Cardinal, an assistant county prosecutor, asked that the $13,500 bond be revoked and requested a $500,000 bond on the latest charge.
Tekach violated a protection order when he contacted his ex-girlfriend and threatened to kill the magistrate who issued it, all while out on bond, Cardinal said.
"That would indicate that he's under the influence or alcohol or drugs or just plain nuts," Cardinal said.
Judge D'Apolito revoked the $13,500 bond and set no bond for the retaliation charge. A pre-trial on both the latest charge and the other offenses from early April is set for May 9.
Other threats
The retaliation charge against Tekach was the latest of three situations in a month where the life of a common pleas court official was threatened.
Kenneth Favors of Youngstown was charged with retaliation last month after being accused of calling the home of Judge R. Scott Krichbaum of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court and threatening to kill the judge and his wife.
The collect calls were made from the county jail where Favors was being held on a charge of breaking and entering.
On April 6, Nora Anthony of Campbell called the common pleas court's assignment office and twice said she would "take out" Judge Maureen A. Sweeney. She also was charged with retaliation.