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Dellick trial begins in municipal court
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
The former girlfriend of a judge’s son testified in municipal court Monday that she “feared the unknown” but did not think John Dellick would “throw her in a dumpster.”
Natalie Noday testified that though she was afraid Dellick was capable of harming her, she did not think Dellick would throw her in a construction dumpster on the campus of Youngstown State University, as prosecutors alleged in the first day of Dellick’s aggravated menacing trial.
“Did I think he was going to harm me? Yes,” Noday testified. “But I did not believe he would throw me in a dumpster.”
Dellick, 19, faces a charge of aggravated menacing, accused of threatening and following Noday on Nov. 6 on the YSU campus.
He also faces felony counts in common pleas court for two separate incidents last year involving the girlfriend and a road-rage incident, both in Canfield Township.
It took about two hours to seat a jury before Judge Elizabeth Kobly. The case is expected to wrap up today.
Dellick is the son of Mahoning County Juvenile Court Judge Theresa Dellick.
Dellick’s lawyer, Sam Amendolara, in opening statements disputed claims that his client stalked, threatened, or kept Noday from entering a building on campus. He acknowledged they were arguing, but he said Dellick never threatened her. He said Dellick was just trying to get Noday to talk to him.
Amendolara also said university police never did an investigation before charging his client. He said the initial incident report was approved by a supervisor at 1:33 p.m. Nov. 6, and the charge was filed in municipal court at 1:35 p.m. Nov. 6.
Assistant City Prosecutor Shelli Freeze said that Noday believed the threat that Dellick made to her, and she was in fear for her life. Freeze told jurors in her opening statement that Dellick followed her and a friend across campus and at one point said: “I am going to kill you and your people and throw their bodies in a dumpster.”
But Noday said under cross-examination that while she was afraid, she did not think Dellick would kill her.
Noday said Dellick wanted to talk to her about their relationship but she was trying to get to a class to take a test and asked him to leave her alone several times, telling him she would talk to him later, but he would not leave her alone.
Noday also said she still has feelings for Dellick.
The police officer who took her report, Mark Mehley and his supervisor, Sgt. Dennis Godoy, said Noday was visibly upset at the police station when she came to make a report.
Under cross-examination from Amendolara, Noday said she was embarrassed and humiliated by Dellick on campus, but when asked if she was afraid, she said: “I feared the unknown.”
“I did not think he would throw me into a dumpster,” she said.