A man who had just been sentenced to a year in prison made his situation considerably worse when he broke his handcuffs inside an Ohio courthouse and took off toward the front doors.
Surveillance video from the Columbiana County Courthouse in Lisbon shows Timothy J. Reaggle turn on security bailiff Keith Thorn in a second-floor hallway, knocking him to the floor before sprinting away.
The escape attempt carried Reaggle through another bailiff, down a stairwell and almost to the courthouse entrance before a deputy sheriff stopped him with a Taser.
Reaggle never made it outside. By the time it was over, two bailiffs had been taken to hospitals and the 20-year-old defendant was back in custody with another criminal case taking shape.
Down The Hall
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Reaggle had appeared before Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Washam for a 1 p.m. sentencing hearing after pleading guilty in July to charges stemming from a 2025 case.
He received a one-year prison sentence on offenses including aggravated burglary, aggravated assault, aggravated menacing, failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer and two misdemeanor assault counts, according to the Salem News.
Thorn handcuffed Reaggle in front and began walking him through the hallway toward a holding cell.
The surveillance footage shows Reaggle suddenly turn around and strike Thorn, who falls backward onto the hallway floor. Reaggle then charges down the corridor and collides with security bailiff Steve Boyd near a doorway before continuing toward the stairs.
Almost Outside
Deputy Sheriff Nick Rusyn pursued Reaggle down the stairwell as other members of the Columbiana County Sheriff’s Office converged on the first floor.
Reaggle briefly got away from the group and continued toward the courthouse doors. Rusyn deployed his Taser near the security station before Reaggle could get outside, and deputies wrestled him back into custody.
Back upstairs, Thorn remained on the hallway floor with blood visible on his face. Leland Monte, who had been at the courthouse with his father for an unrelated hearing, went over to help him.
Both Thorn and Boyd were taken to hospitals. They were later released but suffered injuries requiring additional recovery time, and neither had returned to work by Wednesday.
Another Case
The attempted escape does not appear headed for an immediate new filing.
In a Wednesday update, Captain Ryan Pike told the Salem News that any charges resulting from the courthouse incident will instead go through a grand jury while the Sheriff’s Office investigation continues.
Sheriff Brian McLaughlin had previously said potential charges included two counts of felony assault against police officers, felony escape, and resisting arrest.
Reaggle, who turned 21 Wednesday, is meanwhile being transported to state prison to begin serving the one-year sentence that preceded the escape attempt.