Prosecutor: Man threatened YSU employee same day he got out of jail

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

A Warren man was arraigned in municipal court Friday on charges he threatened a Youngstown State University employee on the same day he was released from jail on similar charges.

James Martin, 35, of Baker Street, was arrested Wednesday on charges of aggravated menacing and telecommunications harassment. His bond was set at $30,000 by Magistrate Anthony Sertick.

Court records show Martin was arrested Oct. 3 on charges of telecommunication harassment after being accused of threatening a female YSU employee. He pleaded guilty later that month and was given a sentence of 20 days in jail with credit for time served as well as a year’s probation, which included a provision that he get a mental-health assessment.

City Prosecutor Dana Lantz told Sertick that Martin again sent threats to the same employee the day he was released from the Mahoning County jail sometime in October on his sentence for the charges in the first case.

Lantz said the employee has fled this area because she fears Martin. Lantz asked that Martin be given a high bond because he is facing the same charges with the same person.

Lantz said university police served search warrants Dec. 2 that showed the threatening messages came from a computer at Martin’s home, which he shares with his mother.

Martin told Sertick he did not send the messages. He said they were repeats of messages he sent to the employee for the first case in which he pleaded guilty. He said he might have had a “mental-health blackout,” if he did send them, but he said he has no memory of sending any messages.

Lantz said evidence seized by the search warrant proved that Martin sent the messages and also that Martin’s claims the messages are repeats of previous messages are lies.

Martin also has a parole violation from Trumbull County as well as a parole violation from municipal court for violating the no-contact order with the employee in the first case.