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Man given 35K bond in domestic violence case
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
A West Side man accused of head-butting his girlfriend and choking her son with a baseball bat was given a $35,000 bond Monday in municipal court.
Robert Reda, 38, of South Richview Avenue, was arraigned before Judge Elizabeth Kobly on a fourth-degree felony charge of domestic violence and a probation violation for driving under suspension.
Reda was arrested after police were called about 10:22 a.m. Saturday to his home for a report of a fight with a baseball bat. When they arrived, Reda was not home, reports said.
Reports said Reda’s girlfriend told police Reda became enraged because he thought she had stolen his marijuana, and he threatened to kill her if she ever stole from him again.
He then attacked her, head-butting her and choking her, and when her son tried to intervene, Reda picked up a baseball bat and hit him in the eye with the end of the bat, reports said.
Reports said Reda then started choking the son with the bat. When the girlfriend called police, Reda ran through the backyards.
After police left, they were called back several minutes later where they saw Reda driving a van and arrested him.
The domestic-violence charge was upgraded to a felony because Reda had a prior domestic-violence conviction in 2015, said assistant city Prosecutor Jeffrey Moliterno.