Suspect arrested in bomb scare at Betras' law office

BURGHILL

The suspect arrested in the bomb scare at the Betras law office Oct. 16 will appear in court in Canfield this morning.

Mahoning County sheriff’s deputies arrested Charles J. Reighard, 67, of state Route 7, at 9:48 a.m. Thursday at his home.

Reighard faces charges of extortion, retaliation, aggravated menacing and inducing panic. He is in the county jail, but will appear at 9 a.m. in Mahoning County Area Court in Canfield.

Deputies arrested the former client of attorney David Betras as they executed a search warrant at Reighard’s residence, where they found pipe, the same color of wick found in the unexploded device at the Betras law firm, and unsent drafts of letters in the wastebasket from him to Betras.

The search warrant was issued by Judge Andrew Logan of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.

Maj. Jeff Allen of the sheriff’s department said Reighard sent three typed threatening letters to Betras this year, including one after the Oct. 16 incident, saying, “The next one will be at your house with your family home.”

“The letters got progressively more aggressive,” Betras said.

Betras, Mahoning County Democratic Party chairman, arrived Oct. 16 to find a broken window on the second story of his law office, Betras, Kopp & Harshman LLC, on Seville Drive.

A nonexplosive pipe bomb was found outside the broken window.

Betras said the recent threatening letters were typed on Ohio Democratic Party letterhead and warned him against making political speeches.

Read more about the case in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.