Warren kidnapping, assault trial spans separate 2015, '16 crimes

By Ed Runyan

runyan@vindy.com

WARREN

The felonious assault and kidnapping trial of Harold Travis Jr. began Tuesday with testimony from police officers, a bystander and one of the victims.

Travis, 25, of Elm Road, is on trial in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court on enough charges to send him to prison for more than 50 years if he is convicted.

The twist is that his two counts of felonious assault, three of kidnapping and one of abduction relate to separate allegations from Feb. 24, 2015, and July 12, 2016.

After Travis was indicted on the 2015 incidents, which involve allegations he beat up his wife and held her hostage for two weeks at their home on Elm Road, he was charged in the 2016 allegations.

Those allegations are that he held two people hostage at his father’s house on Douglas Street Northwest and physically assaulted one of them.

Travis is charged with one count of felonious assault, two of kidnapping, one of extortion and one of being a felon in possession of a firearm in the Feb. 24, 2015, incidents.

He is charged with one count of felonious assault, one of kidnapping and one of abduction in the July 12, 2016, incidents.

Charles Morrow, assistant county prosecutor, told jurors that Travis’ wife might not testify, but there is plenty of evidence to back up what she told police shortly after she escaped from him. The woman did testify at the trial, but had to be convinced by Judge Peter Kontos, who said he would find her in contempt of court if she refused.

The first witness was a Glenwood Street woman who testified that she was reluctant to answer when someone banged loudly on her door Feb. 24, 2015.

A short time later, however, she saw that a woman with a small child had moved to the next house on the street and was banging on that door. There was snow on the ground.

The Glenwood woman called to the other woman, who was bruised, cut and “panicking.” The victim told her she had been “held hostage.”