Jury finds Marion man guilty of attempted murder of police officer, other felony charges

A Marion County man is facing more than 30 years in state prison after a jury convicted him of multiple charges, including the attempted murder of a Marion police officer.

A jury in Marion County Common Pleas Court returned guilty verdicts on four of the five charges originally filed against Teddy G. Thomas III, 32, Marion, at the end of a three-day trial on Thursday. The jury found him guilty of one count of attempt to commit murder, a first-degree felony; one count of felonious assault, a first-degree felony; one count of domestic violence, a fourth-degree felony; and one count of inducing panic, a fourth-degree felony. The first two charges he was found guilty of each have a repeat violent offender specification attached to them.

The jury returned a not guilty verdict on one count of aggravated burglary, a first-degree felony. However, the jury chose instead to return a guilty verdict on the lesser included offense of burglary.

"We are very grateful for the jury's verdict," Marion County Prosecutor Ray Grogan said after Thursday's session of the trial ended. "I think what it means is that our law enforcement officers do a really hard job and the community recognizes that. I feel very happy for Officer Rector who, make no mistake about it, had a machete swung at his head while responding to a call where he was trying to help people.

"I hope this verdict demonstrates, one, just how difficult this job (law enforcement) is to be a police officer, but, number two, that violence against police officers is just not going to be tolerated."

Thomas was accused of attempting to hit Marion Police Officer Caleb Rector with a machete during law enforcement's response to a domestic violence incident on Feb. 12, 2022, at a residence on Fies Avenue. The woman, with whom Thomas has three children, and their oldest son called authorities to report that Thomas had attacked her, leaving her with bruises and swelling on her head. He also kicked her in the abdomen.

According to recordings of the call to 911, she and her son expressed fear for their safety and retreated to a bedroom where they remained until after police arrived and evacuated them.

Audio recordings of the 911 calls and video recordings from officers' body cameras served as key evidence in the trial as did recordings of recent telephone conversations and copies of emails between Thomas and the female victim while he has been in custody at the Multi-County Correctional Center, Grogan said.

Domestic violence continues to be a serious issue in Marion and other communities around the state and the nation, Grogan said. He noted that the prosecution utilized Ohio Rules of Order in relation to domestic violence in order to have statements from the female victim admitted into evidence.

The woman was under subpoena to testify as a witness for the prosecution but did not show up for the trial. Victim Advocate Dena Moneysmith said the woman ceased all communications with the Marion County Prosecutor's Office more than two weeks ago.

Grogan contended that telephone calls made by Thomas from the Multi-County Correctional Center had an adverse influence on the woman, causing her to break off communications with his office. Judge Matthew P. Frericks ruled in favor of the prosecution and allowed the evidence to be admitted.

"We'll continue to use every avenue possible to bring justice for domestic violence victims," Grogan said. "These cases are among the most difficult cases that we have. When you factor in the human elements of all of this, the relationship elements of these cases, it just makes them very hard, but we will continue to aggressively prosecute them.

"When someone chooses to be violent, that person needs to be prosecuted," he added. "Couples can argue. There's nothing criminal about that. But when someone chooses to be violent, that's when the criminal justice system has to become involved."

Judge Frericks will schedule the sentencing hearing at a later date. A hearing to rule on the repeat violent offender specifications for the attempted murder charge and the felonious assault charge will also be conducted at a later date, the judge said.

Frericks revoked bond for Thomas and he was remanded back into the custody of the Multi-County Correctional Center in Marion. He will be transported to the Correctional Reception Center in Orient following the sentencing hearing. From there, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections will assign Thomas to a state prison to begin serving his sentence.

Following the proceedings on Thursday, jurors met with Judge Frericks, Prosecutor Ray Grogan, defense attorney David Johnson, and Marion Police Officer Caleb Rector. Several jurors shook hands with Rector prior to leaving the courthouse.

Email: ecarter@gannett.com | Twitter: @AndrewACCarter

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Jury finds Marion man guilty of attempted murder, additional charges