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A Union County grand jury has added charges for a pair of men who allegedly attempted to kidnap a Plain City man.
The grand jury has charged Marvin A. Martinez, 32, of Columbus, and Sidney Bernardez Mejia, 35, of Aurora, Colorado.
Each man is charged with two counts of felonious assault and one count each of attempted kidnapping, abduction, receiving stolen property and possession of criminal tools. The charges also carry a series of specifications for possession of a fire arm.
According to court documents, about 9:05 p.m., on July 11, 2018, the victim was outside his home in the 11000 block of Cedar Crest Drive in the Jerome Village area. He said Mejia, Martinez and a third man approached him asking questions about his electric service provider. The victim said he thought it was “odd” that they would ask the questions because his home was in a new subdivision.
“(The victim) turned to walk towards his open garage, when he looked back (the victim) was struck in the face with what he believed to be the butt of a gun,” according to court documents.
The victim was allegedly hit repeatedly and knocked to the ground. Another man allegedly pulled a gun.
“(The victim) grabbed the gun and struggled to take the gun away,” according to court documents.
The man began to yell, trying to get the attention of his wife and neighbors. The three men eventually ran away. They were seen on surveillance tapes running from the scene then leaving in a red sport utility vehicle.
“During the struggle one or more of the suspects dropped five large zip ties and a plastic bag containing what is believed to be duct tape,” according to the police report.
The Union County Sheriff’s Office and the Dublin Police Department arrived at the scene and found the victim with multiple cuts, a swollen eye and a bloody nose.
Because of some criminal activity in the area, the Union County Sheriff’s Office had placed a license plate reader on Cedar Crest Drive. That reader captured the license plate of a red SUV moments before the alleged assault.
After further investigation, detectives went to the 200 block of Eldon Avenue in Columbus and arrested Martinez and Mejia.
“At this point, the third suspect hasn’t been identified,” said Union County Prosecutor David Phillips.
During a search of the home, investigators found a pair of pistols they later learned were stolen, leading to the receiving stolen property charge.
Martinez and Mejia were originally indicted last year and set for trial in December, then again in April but both times the trial was postponed. They are scheduled for trial this summer.
Bond was set at $350,000 for Mejia and $300,000 for Martinez. Both men have remained in Tri-County Regional Jail since their arrest in July.
Phillips said that since new information has been learned, the additional charges were filed.
If convicted on all charges, each man could face more than 39 years in prison.