Local man's threat against magistrate leads to prison term

YOUNGSTOWN -- An Austintown man will spend two years in prison for threatening to kill a Mahoning County Common Pleas Court magistrate.
The sentence for Mark Tekach, 36, was six months longer than the plea deal he agreed to last month. Visiting Judge Thomas Curran ordered the longer sentence.
Tekach pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of attempted retaliation against a public servant. He also pleaded guilty to a reduced burglary charge. He faced up to 13 years in prison if convicted on the charges.
Tekach was charged in April with retaliation. Police say he left several messages on his former girlfriend's cell phone threatening to kill Robert Bannon, a common pleas court magistrate who hears cases involving civil protection orders. The woman had a protection order against Tekach. The pair was scheduled to appear before Bannon.