CHILLICOTHE, Ohio – A man was arrested on felonious assault charges after allegedly attacking another individual with what could only be described as a medieval spiked weapon in an alley off Vine Street early Friday morning, according to a police report.
Officers were dispatched to the — block of Vine Street at approximately 3:04 a.m. on January 31 in reference to an assault, the report states. Upon arrival, officers found a male victim bleeding, with blood running down his face.
The victim told officers he had been riding his bike behind the — block of Vine Street when he allegedly saw Marland Thomas chasing after him, according to the report. The victim attempted to pedal away but lost balance, at which point Thomas allegedly pushed him off the bike with what the victim described as a “shoulder check.”
The report states that while on the ground, the victim claimed Thomas got on top of him, preventing him from getting up, and then struck him with a wooden stick that had a chain, metal balls, and spikes. The victim alleged he was struck at least once on the top of the head and possibly in the face before managing to push Thomas off and take the weapon away.
According to the report, officers observed a visible laceration between the victim’s eyes and a significant amount of blood from a head wound. The victim was transported to Adena Hospital for further evaluation.
Police documented multiple areas in the alley containing what appeared to be blood and secured the weapon as evidence, the report reads. The victim told officers he wished to pursue criminal charges against Thomas.
Later that day, at approximately 9:18 p.m., an officer at Chillicothe Municipal Court allegedly spotted Thomas in the hallway while he was attending a pretrial hearing for an unrelated case. The officer stated he was aware of an active warrant for Thomas’ arrest and took him into custody.
Thomas was transported to the Ross County Jail, where he was held in lieu of bond until his court hearing this morning.