Defendant placed in a ‘spit bag’ following purported threat to spit on court personnel

Staff report

WARREN

Tuesday’s pretrial hearing for Jeffrey Irby, charged with firing between three and seven shots at a Hubbard police officer Oct. 14, was ordinary except for one thing.

Irby was forced to wear a spit bag on his head and handcuffs on his wrists as he was led into the courtroom and throughout the hearing.

Deputies put the mesh bag on Irby’s head because of a report from a fellow inmate at the Trumbull County jail indicating that Irby said he was going to spit on the prosecutor handling the case, Judge Andrew Logan, other court personnel and the deputies guarding him.

The hearing was short. Gabe Wildman, assistant county prosecutor; Irby’s attorney from the Ohio Public Defender’s Office, David Rouzzo; and Judge Logan set his next pretrial hearing for 11:30 a.m. Nov. 18 and his trial date for Jan. 15.

Hubbard police said Irby, 26, of Youngstown and Fort Wayne, Ind., fled from a car that was stopped for a traffic violation at 11:30 a.m., then fired a gun at a Hubbard officer, who ducked and avoided being hit. Irby was arrested a short time later.

The driver of the car, Jason Duecaster, 30, of Steel Street in Youngstown, is charged with improper display of license plates and driving on a suspended license, but a county grand jury refused to indict him on felony charges related to the gun.

While trying to get away from police, Irby took off a shirt and pair of pants. He had a second shirt and pair of pants underneath.

Authorities say they believe Irby and Duecaster were planning to commit a robbery at the time of the traffic stop.