Cridersville man charged with threatening mother, stepfather
Oct. 17—LIMA — A Cridersville man who allegedly threatened to shoot his mother and his stepfather this summer made a brief appearance Monday in Allen County Common Pleas Court.
Preston Ries, 29, is charged with aggravated burglary, a first-degree felony; felonious assault, a felony of the second-degree; and abduction, a third-degree felony. All three counts include a specification alleging Ries used a firearm in the commission of the offenses.
The indictment against Ries alleges that on July 3 of this year he caused or attempted to cause serious harm to Robert Hopp and Shawnda Winegardner. The abduction charge alleges that Ries did "by force or threat of force" restrain the ability of both victims to leave the vicinity.
According to court documents, officers with the Shawnee Township Police Department responded on July 3 to a 911 call and proceeded to the 4000 block of Magnolia Lane in Shawnee Township. There they found Winegardner and Ries, her son, standing in the driveway of the residence. Winegardner told officers that Ries was in possession of a firearm and police subsequently removed a .45 caliber pistol from a holster behind Ries' back.
Winegardner said Ries had arrived at the home and displayed the handgun, demanding to know the whereabouts of Jason Winegardner, his stepfather. Winegardner said Ries said he intended to kill Jason Winegardner.
Court records show that Ries pointed the gun at his mother and told her he would shoot if she tried to run. He then fired shots into the air and into an empty lot next door before officers arrived and arrested him.
Attorney Steve Chamberlain of the Allen County Public Defenders Office filed a motion with the court on Aug. 30 seeking to suppress statements made by Ries to law enforcement. The motion alleged that officers failed to advise Ries of his constitutional rights against self-incrimination and the right to an attorney before questioning him.
Shawnee Township Police Department Detective Jack Miller, who interviewed Ries some two hours after the incident, testified on Monday that a video recording of the interview will show that Ries "knowingly" waived those rights before the interview got underway.
Judge Jeffrey Reed took into evidence a copy of the video and said he would issue a ruling in the near future.
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