Thursday, May 22, 2014
CAMPBELL
A 53-year-old Hyatt Avenue man will answer to felony charges of abduction and obstructing official business, along with a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence, at 9 a.m. Friday in Campbell Municipal Court for holding his wife against her will in their home earlier this week.
Until then, Michael S. Sheperd is being held without bond in the city's jail, and a temporary protection order prohibiting any contact with his wife or 3-year-old daughter is in effect.
At about 3 p.m. Tuesday, city police responded to the home in the 500 block of Hyatt Avenue after Mahoning County 911 had received a hangup call from the home. The officer could immediately hear a woman screaming inside the home, and looking through the window, he was able to see a man standing at the top of the stairs. Despite the officer's repeatedly announcing his presence and requesting entry into the home, the man inside, later identified as Sheperd, continued to ignore him. Police then attempted to force their way into the home by way of both the front and back doors, which wouldn't budge and showed no signs of damage even after several kicks. In addition, the home's windows had heavy-duty steel bars on them.
The woman who had been screaming, Sheperd's wife, eventually opened the front door; officers noticed blood on her, along with obvious injuries, including a deep laceration on her forehead. The 3-year-old girl, whom officers had seen crying through a window, was standing behind Sheperd. Police attempted to arrest Sheperd, but it took several tries before he would comply. He was finally taken to the Campbell Police Department.
Sheperd's wife told police that when Sheperd noticed that police had arrived, he tried to grab a knife from the kitchen, planning to tell officers that she had cut him. She also repeatedly asked officers to not take her daughter away from her, and said she has no family in the U.S. and is solely dependent on her husband.
She was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center, where her injuries were treated.