Supporters push self-defense bill

Proposed legislation forces criminals to prove they did not intend to harm
occupants.

By MARC KOVAC

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

COLUMBUS — A note to crooks thinking about breaking into Ellen Wickham’s home:

If you get past the locks, the lights, the alarms and the 160-pound Great Dane (its name is Henry), you can expect to be shot on sight.

“Of course, I will call 911, but I won’t wait for the police to arrive,” the Columbus-area woman told state lawmakers Wednesday morning. “I, along with my firearm, am my first line of defense. Crime scene investigators are great photographers, but I prefer my pictures without blood and bruises.”

Wickham was one of several proponents to testify before the Senate’s Criminal Justice Committee in favor of SB 184, sponsored by Republican Steve Buerher from Delta in northwestern Ohio. Rep. Lynn Wachtmann, a Republican from Napoleon, introduced companion legislation in the Ohio House.

Under existing law, residents defending their homes against intruders must prove the perpetrators were close enough to do them harm and intended to do harm. The proposed legislation reverses those roles, forcing criminals to prove they did not intend to harm occupants. The civil provision would cover acts of self-defense in homes or elsewhere and would prevent criminals from seeking civil recourse if injured while attacking others.

The change would help people such as Ryan Cundiff, who recounted for lawmakers an attack that occurred on a rural farm in Carroll County six years ago. He and his girlfriend were camping on private property when they were accosted by a couple of trespassers. The situation escalated into late-evening assault, and Cundiff shot one of the individuals with a handgun he carried. He told lawmakers he has spent $30,000 defending himself against subsequent criminal charges — he was acquitted — and a pending civil complaint.

“I’ve never been in trouble with the law until that fateful night,” he said. “I did what I had to do, I protected myself and my life has been changed forever.”

mkovac@dixcom.com