Police arrested a 20-year-old Upper Arlington man dressed only in boxer shorts and shoes last week after he allegedly broke into a home, damaged several valuable paintings and ran onto a soccer field at Hastings Middle School during a game.
Melvin Keashawn Williams, 2244 Woodstock Road, also allegedly attacked a female school employee and several times attempted to flee from police.
He is charged with second-degree felony counts of burglary and inducing panic and fourth-degree felony counts of assault and vandalism, plus a misdemeanor charge of assault.
Online court records indicate Williams was released from the Franklin County jail April 20 on $204 bond for the misdemeanor charge and $5,085 bond for the felony charges.
According to Upper Arlington police reports, officers were called to the school, 1850 Hastings Lane, about 7 p.m. April 18 on a report that a nearly naked man with bloody hands and arms had run onto the soccer field and was fighting with a woman. Officers were able to arrest and handcuff the man, identified as Williams, but not before he punched and attempted to choke the woman, police reports said.
Upper Arlington police officer Bryan McKean said Williams also caused an estimated $27,050 in damages to a home he allegedly broke into in the 3700 block of Pevensey Drive before running onto the field.
No one was at the home, and police don't know if he has any connection to the residents.
Williams is accused of damaging the front door and leaving shattered glass throughout the house from apparently smashing pieces of crystal. He also left "copious amounts of blood splatters and stains inside the house," and destroyed three paintings valued together at $21,000.
"It looks like the owner of that home had several paintings," McKean said.
The estimate includes damage to the paintings as well as the door, some drywall and some crystal, he said.
"(The victim) stated some of the paintings were irreplaceable and a few were from deceased artists," the report said.
Police reports said after officers removed Williams from the school grounds, he was combative at police headquarters and punched an officer in the face.
McKean said officers reported Williams made a statement about "tripping," but they didn't find any drugs on his person and didn't conduct any drug tests.
"He was in his boxer shorts and shoes, and we didn't have any evidence to go down that path," McKean said.
A preliminary hearing on the felony charges is scheduled April 27 in Franklin County Municipal Court. A pretrial hearing on the misdemeanor charge is scheduled June 4, also in municipal court.
If the felony charges against him are presented to a grand jury and Williams is indicted, the case will switch to Franklin County Common Pleas Court.
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