43
Man with long history of domestic violence cases gets 25k bond
James Gadd has long history of domestic violence
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
A man who has served two separate prison terms on felony menacing and violating protection-order charges, and who is on probation for similar offenses in two separate courts, is now in the Mahoning County jail on $25,000 bond.
Magistrate Anthony Sertick told James Gadd, 29, of Youngstown, during his arraignment Wednesday in municipal court that his past record concerns him. That’s why he set a significant bond on a fourth-degree felony charge of violation of a protection order and a first-degree misdemeanor count of domestic violence.
“Because of your previous history of committing the same type of offense, I believe you are somewhat of a safety concern – not just to [the victim], but the community as a whole,” Magistrate Sertick said.
Gadd was arrested Sunday afternoon after police were called about 12:25 p.m. to an apartment in the 2000 block of Oregon Avenue where the mother of two of Gadd’s children lives. Reports said the victim, who has a protection order against Gadd, told officers she answered a knock on the door, and Gadd forced his way inside, held a gun to her head and threatened her.
When the woman said she would call police, Gadd ran into nearby woods, reports said. Both of the children were there at the time.
Police found Gadd about 90 minutes later at Hazelwood Avenue and Vestal Road, and he was taken into custody.
Assistant City Prosecutor Jeffrey Moliterno had also asked for a high bond for Gadd, citing his previous record.
In September, Gadd was arrested on charges of threatening the same victim at the same apartment after one of their children wet the bed. Reports said Gadd beat the child, who was 3 at the time, and then threatened to shoot him so the boy’s mother could spend more time with other children in their home.
In that case, Gadd pleaded guilty in municipal court, and he was sentenced to two years probation, which includes substance-abuse counseling and anger-management parenting classes. He was also given credit for 18 days served in jail while awaiting the disposition of the case.
That plea, however, triggered a second probation violation in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court for a 2013 domestic violence case where he had already served jail time for a probation violation in a 2013 felony menacing conviction. He was sentenced in November to 18 months in prison, but given credit for 400 days he had already served in the case, and he was placed on probation again in that case as well.
In 2010, Gadd was sentenced in common pleas court to a year in prison after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of violating a protection order that was filed in July 2009 in municipal court and bound over to a grand jury, which indicted him.
In May 2009, Gadd also pleaded guilty in municipal court to a misdemeanor charge of violating a protection order. When he was arrested on the second charge that year, which was a felony, his municipal court probation was revoked, and he was sentenced to 150 days in the Mahoning County jail.