Jan. 15—LIMA — A Lima man was found guilty of a third-degree felony charge of abduction by a majority female jury Wednesday, and sentencing was set for March 3.
A presentence investigation will be conducted before Arthur Brown III, 25, is sentenced in Allen County Common Pleas Court. Brown has been out on bond, and Judge Jeffrey Reed revoked it after the verdict, so he was taken into custody.
Part of the instructions given to the jury specified the jurors would have to find Brown guilty of the charge if they thought the victim — whose name is not being revealed due to Marsy’s Law — believed there was a risk of physical harm to herself or she was placed in fear. They didn’t have to be unanimous on which one it was.
Prosecutors’ opening and closing statements started the same way, by mentioning the incidents that occurred on Sept. 17: a broken front window that occurred when Brown threw the woman’s phone, the threats Brown made to the woman’s life through texts and the woman feeling like she couldn’t leave the house due to Brown holding a kitchen knife.
Physical evidence, including the texts and pictures of the broken window and Brown sitting in the kitchen with the knife while blocking the exits, was given to the jury.
Brown’s attorneys from the Allen County Public Defender’s Office didn’t make an opening statement and didn’t present any evidence. Brown also didn’t testify.
In closing arguments, Assistant Public Defender Stephen Chamberlain attempted to sow doubt about the victim being afraid because she restarted the argument with Brown multiple times which caused the incidents. The argument was over the woman discovering Brown viewed one of his ex-girlfriend’s Facebook profiles.
Chamberlain said Brown never threatened the woman with the knife in person. In court the previous day, an audio message sent through text was played of Brown saying “I will stab you so many times and watch you die.”
“Those words without something else over telephone don’t mean a whole lot,” Chamberlain said.
The woman became emotional as she testified Tuesday she was in a previous long-time abusive relationship, so when a man yells at her she “shuts down.”
Reach Charlotte Caldwell at 567-242-0451.
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