An Upper Arlington man accused of breaking into a home and damaging valuable paintings before causing a disturbance at a middle school soccer field while dressed only in his boxer shorts and shoes will face trial in August.
Melvin K. Williams, 20, of 2244 Woodstock Road, is scheduled for trial Aug. 14 in Franklin County Common Pleas Court on felony charges of burglary, assault, vandalism, obstruction of official business and inducing panic, as well as an additional misdemeanor charge of assault.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges at a May 21 arraignment.
An official at Franklin County Common Pleas Court said Williams was released from the Franklin County jail May 21.
Williams was indicted April 26 after he was arrested April 18 on the field at Hastings Middle School.
According to Upper Arlington police, Williams was nearly naked and his hands and arms were bloody when he ran onto the school's soccer field and began fighting with a woman. Officers were able to arrest and handcuff him but not before he allegedly punched and attempted to choke the woman.
Williams also is accused of causing 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 in the home at the time, but police said he damaged the house's front door and left shattered glass throughout it 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.
According to court documents, Williams faces a fourth-degree felony charge for allegedly causing or attempting to cause physical harm to an Upper Arlington police officer.
Officer Bryan McKean said Williams punched an official in the face after he was detained and taken to police headquarters.
The fourth-degree felony charge of inducing panic was handed down after Williams allegedly caused "serious public inconvenience or alarm" by running onto the field during a school-sponsored sporting event and fighting with the woman.
At the time of Williams' arrest, McKean said the man made a statement about "tripping," but officers didn't find any drugs on his person and didn't conduct any drug tests.
Williams is facing up to 13 years and six months in prison if convicted on all counts.
His lawyer, Robert Krapenc, said his client was under the influence of hallucinogens at the time of the incident and shouldn't be incarcerated.
"I firmly believe Mr. Williams should not be locked up," Krapenc said. "He went to a home, but not to steal anything. He was under the influence of mushrooms, I believe, at the time.
"At that moment this was going on, he was out of his head."
As a condition of his release from jail, Williams must comply with various terms set forth by the court or be required to pay a $10,000 bond or return to jail.
Those conditions include contacting the court twice a month via telephone and submitting to drug screenings at least once a month.
"Although there's a presumption for prison time under the law, it's not mandatory," Krapenc said. "I think prison should be for violent criminals.
"This guy had no idea at the time what he was doing."
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