Victim asks that attacker be kept in jail; accused man's attorney asks for lower bond

LIMA — The alleged victim of a strangulation incident that prosecutors say took place earlier this year near Spencerville on Monday asked that her attacker be kept behind bars as long as possible.

The request was made during a pre-trial hearing for Ty Shellenbarger Jr., 2o, of rural Spencerville. He was indicted by a grand jury in June on one count of strangulation, a felony of the third degree. During Monday’s hearing Shellenbarger waived his constitutional right to a speedy trial and agreed to a continuation of his trial date until Sept. 24.

Shellenbarger is currently held in the Auglaize County jail on a $150,000 cash or surety bond. His attorney, Scott Kelly, asked Judge Jeffrey Reed to consider a reduction in bond which, if posted, would include provisions for house arrest and a GPS ankle monitor. The state of Ohio, through Assistant Prosecutor Joe Everhart, said the bond as currently set is “appropriate.”

Everhart then asked that the alleged victim in the case be heard. The young girl, who is slight in stature, spoke to the judge and asked that Shellenbarger’s bond remain as previously set. She said his attack upon her was “not a first-time thing.”

“I don’t feel safe. I don’t feel OK having him out (of jail). I don’t believe this will be the last time,” the girl said. “I don’t trust him. I’m terrified.”

Reed reduced bond for Shellenbarger to $100,000 cash or surety and ordered house arrest and electronic monitoring if bond is posted.

According to court records, deputies with the Allen County Sheriff’s Office on May 5 responded to a residence at 1250 S. Sunderland Road, Spencerville, in regard to a female who allegedly had been assaulted and strangled by Shellenbarger. Deputies were met by the mother of the alleged victim, who said she had received a text from her daughter asking that she be picked up at Shellenbarger’s residence.

The mother told officers she and her husband drove to Shellenbarger’s residence and witnessed both parties in the driver’s seat of a vehicle, with Shellenbarger on top of their daughter while choking and hitting her. Deputies observed scrapes to the woman’s hands and arms and bruises around her neck, court documents show.

The alleged victim said she had driven to Shellenbarger’s home and, upon her arrival, was forcibly removed from her vehicle, at which time Shellenbarger began to punch her in the arms and legs. The woman claimed he struck her with a water bottle and then retrieved a stick from a nearby tree and used it to strike her. He reportedly then began to choke her with his hands and by grabbing and squeezing a thick piece of jewelry she had around her neck.