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Bond continued for suspect in Route 11 standstill
By Ashley Luthern
LISBON
The 25-year-old man who reportedly brought traffic on state Route 11 to a standstill July 4 remains in jail on $50,000 bond.
At a preliminary hearing in Columbiana County Municipal Court on Tuesday, Judge Mark Frost told Sergiy Matirniy of Pittsburgh that his bond remained at $50,000 and his trial would begin next Wednesday. Matirniy is charged with three misdemeanor offenses: speeding, having drug paraphernalia and obstructing official business.
Matirniy had asked the judge to reduce his bond so he could post it and get out of jail.
“We ask that bond be continued,” said Atty. Donald Humphrey Jr., a Columbiana County assistant prosecutor. “Based on the fact that we have a defendant with multiple addresses and multiple names.”
Matirniy said he lives in Pittsburgh, but formerly resided in Florida and New York.
Matirniy aroused suspicion when he was pulled over by Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers for speeding near the Lisbon exit of state Route 11, and refused to hand over his license and registration, saying later that he invoked his fifth-amendment right.
When troopers noticed technical drawings, cameras, gasoline, a machete and other items, they called outside agencies, such as the Youngstown bomb squad and FBI. Traffic was halted on the highway as they made their check of the car.
The bomb squad found nothing in Matirniy’s car that could make an explosive, but the vehicle was taken to the patrol post for further inspection.
“There are too many unanswered questions,” said Judge Frost, explaining his reasoning for keeping the bond at $50,000.
Natalya Voynarovska of Pittsburgh said Matirniy is being treated unfairly.
“Every person who sees him thinks we have a terrorist in Ohio,” said Voynarovska, Matirniy’s girlfriend.
“The bond should be lowered. Like many Americans we’re struggling with debt and will not be able to make the bond.”
She added that as a Ukrainian, Matirniy might be discriminated against because of recent stories about Russian spies in the national news.