Love triangle sparks brutal assault, burglary at Chillicothe drive-thru

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio —Three women were arrested on aggravated burglary charges after a love triangle sparked two brutal assaults on a drive-thru manager, including one where the victim was choked, dragged by her hair, and repeatedly punched and kicked by the group, according to a Chillicothe police report.

According to the report, trouble began when Erica Copp entered the business and physically confronted an employee — a woman Copp believes to be in a relationship with her estranged husband. The report states that Copp told officers, “My husband left me for this girl, and my kids wanted to stop in here to get a drink,” referring to the manager by name. Surveillance footage, as described by responding officers, showed Copp forcing her way past another employee and grabbing the manager inside the cashier’s office. Officers wrote that the initial struggle lasted approximately one minute and five seconds before Copp left the scene.

But Copp returned shortly after — this time with Ashley Litteral and April Conschafsky.

The report states that the three women pulled back into the drive-thru in a silver Ford Explorer, exited the vehicle, and forced their way into the cashier’s office. Officers wrote that what followed was a brutal two-minute-and-fifteen-second assault captured on the business’s surveillance cameras. According to the report, the manager was punched, kicked, thrown to the ground, and dragged approximately seven feet across the floor by her hair. A second employee was also struck while attempting to intervene, the report states.

When officers made contact with the three women, who were parked across the street, the report states that Copp claimed the incident was self-defense, saying, “So I got out of the car, she hit me first, and they both jumped me.” Conschafsky told officers, “I showed up after she got jumped,” the report reads, adding that Litteral had also not been present for the initial altercation. Surveillance footage, however, told a different story.

Officers wrote that after reviewing the video, it was clear all three women were the aggressors and that the self-defense claim did not hold up. When Litteral was placed under arrest and officers described what the footage showed, the report states she openly said, “Yes I did that.”

According to the report, the manager sustained bruising and swelling across her face, a large contusion on her forehead that officers described as contorting the silhouette of her head, and rib injuries consistent with having been kicked. She declined transport to Adena Regional Medical Center.

Erica Copp was charged with two counts of Aggravated Burglary — one for each assault. Ashley Litteral and April Conschafsky were each charged with one count of Aggravated Burglary. All three were transported to the Ross County Jail and were scheduled to appear in Chillicothe Municipal Court the following morning, the report states.

Officers noted that all three women have been permanently barred from the Expressway Drive Thru at 1032 E. Main St.

(Editor’s Note: All information for this story was directly sourced from the police report provided to the Guardian. Any discrepancies should be directed to the reporting agency.)