Teen suspect of shooting OSU wrestler Sasso released from custody five days before attack
A 16-year-old accused of shooting Sammy Sasso, a four-time All-American wrestler for Ohio State, was released from the Ohio Department of Youth Services in an unrelated criminal case just five days before the carjacking in which Sasso was shot.
The teen male, whom The Dispatch is not naming because he has not been bound over to adult court, was in Franklin County Juvenile Court on Tuesday to determine if he was eligible for release pending his trial in connection with the Sasso shooting.
"At this time you will absolutely not be released," Common Pleas Judge Monica Hawkins ruled after hearing arguments from Emalea Helisek, a Franklin County assistant prosecutor and Thomas Waldeck, the youth's attorney.
Helisek said the 16-year-old had been in several youth facilities this year, including a juvenile intervention center and a community correction facility. On April 6, he was transferred to a Ohio Department of Youth Services detention facility on an unrelated burglary charge for which he was to serve six months.
But the teen was released early on Aug. 13 for time he had already served. Two days later, he was posting images depicting guns on Instagram. A parole officer soon after cited the teen for a parole violation, but Helisek said the carjacking incident in which Sasso was shot may have been hard to prevent "unfortunately, with the short time span he was out and him committing a new crime."
Helisek said the firearm that was used in the Sasso shooting has not been recovered.
Waldeck, seated between the teen and his mother, said that he was no longer a threat if released to his family's custody and continued to take medications for "several mental health diagnoses."
Hawkins told the teen, "I expect you to be on your best behavior. Do you understand me?" to which he replied "Yes, your honor."
He and a 15-year-old accomplice, who was not in court because an attorney wasn't available, are facing charges including aggravated robbery, felony assault, theft and weapons violations in connection with the assault on Sasso.
The accomplice, a female, faces the same charges as the gunman.
read More: Two teens arrested in the carjacking, shooting of Ohio State wrestler Sammy Sasso
Sasso was shot shortly before 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 18 in an alley near the 1300 block of North High Street and East 7th Avenue.
Eyewitnesses told police that Sasso had been trying to run over a rat in his car, a blue 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. When he successfully ran over the rat, he stopped his car and got out to talk to two children, according to a police report.
Two suspects suddenly approached Sasso and one pulled a handgun on him, demanding his vehicle, according to the police report. The gunman shot Sasso before getting into the driver's seat. The other suspect got in the passenger's seat, and the two drove off from the scene.
Anthony D. Pierson, deputy chief counsel in the Franklin County Juvenile Division, said he was disturbed by recent youth gun violence, including the Sasso shooting.
"I think the whole situation is troubling. When you're 16 and shooting someone in the stomach," Pierson said.
Sasso's family released an update on his health, saying he is getting better, but has a long recovery ahead.
Sasso's girlfriend and his father declined to answer questions about his condition or the court case.
His family created a GoFundMe that has raised more than $100,000 so far.
In a message on the site, Sasso's family wrote that Sasso was shot in the abdomen and underwent emergency surgery to reconstruct his colon. The next morning, he had a second surgery to remove the bullet from near his spine, where it had caused "severe nerve damage."
He will need physical therapy to learn to walk again, the family said.
dnarciso@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Suspect of OSU wrestler Sasso shooting in custody days before attack
