Leroy Page, charged with eight felonies related to an October 2022 incident in Allen County, became belligerent and disruptive during a Monday arraignment hearing and was ordered removed from the courtroom.
J Swygart | The Lima News
LIMA — Pleas of not guilty were entered Monday in Allen County Common Pleas Court on behalf of a Lima man who evaded law enforcement for nearly two years before his apprehension in Las Vegas this summer.
The arraignment hearing for Leroy Page was not without its dramatic moments, however, as Page objected to being represented by the Allen County Public Defenders Office and caused multiple disruptions before being removed from the courtroom by order of Magistrate Anthony DiPietro.
Page, 34, faces eight felony charges handed down by a grand jury in January ranging from kidnapping and felonious assault to the improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle and failing to comply with the order or signal of a police officer.
The charges stem from an incident that occurred in October 2022. According to a news release from the Allen County Sheriff’s Office at the time, Page was involved in a vehicle pursuit on Oct. 30, 2022, with the Lima Police Department when he crashed the vehicle near the intersection of West Elm Street and Fraunfelter Road. He reportedly fled the scene and forced his way into a residence on Fraunfelter Road where he “continuously assaulted” the homeowners for about two hours before forcing the residents to drive him to the intersection of Yoakam Road and West Breese Road. Page then fled the area, according to the report.
Page was apprehended in Las Vegas on July 31 and was extradited to Allen County.
During Monday’s arraignment hearing, a time when pleas of not guilty are routinely entered on behalf of defendants indicted by a grand jury, Page protested vehemently when Assistant Allen County Public Defender Steve Chamberlain did so on his behalf.
“I do not consent to these proceedings,” Page told DiPietro. “I don’t know this person (Chamberlain) and I don’t want him to represent me. I did not consent to have him speak on my behalf.”
The magistrate attempted to tell Page he could obtain his own legal counsel at a later date, but the defendant continued to protest and was ordered removed from the courtroom.
Not guilty pleas were entered into the court record on Page’s behalf and a pre-trial hearing for Page was scheduled for Sept. 17.
