Court records released on Braceville man who committed suicide after being indicted

Staff report

WARREN

Court records relating to the indictment of Harold J. “Bud” Roupe were made public Friday, two days after he was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home on Braceville Robinson Road in Braceville Township.

Roupe, 36, was secretly indicted in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court on charges of rape and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.

Both charges related to sexual conduct with another person that took place between Jan. 3, 2013, and Jan. 2, 2014, according to his indictment.

The second charge says the victim of the conduct was a female, age 13.

If convicted of the charges, Roupe could have gotten a prison sentence of more than 11 years but not a life prison sentence, said Gabe Wildman, an assistant Trumbull County prosecutor.

Court records indicate that an arrest warrant was issued June 22. The Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office spent several weeks attempting to serve the warrant on Roupe, said Tom Stewart, chief deputy of the sheriff’s office.

Stewart said he attempted to take Roupe into custody Wednesday morning. Stewart was conducting surveillance on Roupe’s home and saw him leaving at just after 7 a.m. Stewart made a traffic stop at Braceville Robinson Road and state Route 82 at 7:07 a.m., but Roupe fled at high speed back to his home. Stewart pursued him with lights and siren.

At his house, Roupe went into his garage, where Stewart heard a gun blast and found Roupe dead in the garage loft of a gunshot wound.

The Trumbull County Coroner’s office has ruled his death a suicide resulting from a gunshot wound to the head.

His obituary says he was born in Warren, was married to Julie Roupe and was a self-employed roofer. He had two sons and five daughters.