Man charged in Struthers stabbing death appears in court

STRUTHERS

Bond for the 40-year-old man charged with the apparent stabbing death of a Struthers Manor resident last week was set at $527,500, 10 percent cash or surety, in Struthers Municipal Court shortly after 9:30 a.m. today.

Roy Cleary faces felony charges of murder and auto theft - the latter stemming from his allegedly stealing murder victim 56-year-old Mark Westfall's 1999 Chevrolet Blazer. Cleary also was charged with robbery for a 2005 incident, as he failed to show up for a preliminary hearing scheduled for April 1, 2005.

Cleary was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals at UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh on July 16, just a day after the murder, and authorities recovered the vehicle at UPMC Horizon in Farrell, Pa. Police said Cleary had been claiming injury and seeking prescription drugs at several western Pennsylvania hospitals in the days following Westfall's death.

Cleary was extradited from Pennsylvania to Ohio on Thursday.

In Struthers Municipal Court, Judge James Lanzo found Cleary to be indigent, as he had not been working, and counsel will be appointed.

Attorney Paul Conn stood in for Friday's arraignment. Though Conn mentioned Cleary's "small record," he noted that those incidents were not of a violent nature. Lanzo remained firm on Cleary's bond, however.