Bond is set at $2M for Boardman man accused in stabbing

Staff report

BOARDMAN

Bond was set at $2 million for a township man accused of attempted murder and felonious assault.

John Sylvester Jr., 37, of Jaguar Drive, appeared in Mahoning County Area Court here Tuesday morning before Judge Joseph M. Houser.

Sylvester is accused of stabbing his estranged wife Sunday at a Boardman residence.

Police and safety forces then had to coax Sylvester down from attempting to jump off the Market Street bridge in Youngstown, where he fled after the incident and was eventually apprehended.

Sylvester waived his right to a preliminary hearing within 10 days of arraignment and asked the court to appoint counsel. He remains in Mahoning County jail.

Martin Hume, an assistant county prosecutor, recommended a $5 million bond based on Sylvester’s repeat- offender status and his potential as a flight risk.

In 1999, Sylvester pleaded guilty to attempted murder.

In that case, he was accused of ambushing an ex-girlfriend outside her apartment and shooting her in the head and torso.

He was sentenced to seven to 25 years with a three-year gun specification and requested to be released early from prison in 2003, but was denied.

In March 2004, he was given credit for 1,304 days spent in county jail, and he was paroled from state prison May 2, 2005, with a final release date of May 9, 2006, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.

He married the victim in the recent stabbing case in 2008.