Prison time ordered for man who committed 14 crimes in one morning
NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) (April 25, 2023) – The Akron man who stole and abandoned multiple vehicles during a morning crime spree in Dover and New Philadelphia last summer is heading to prison after his latest court appearance.
37-year-old Ricky Moore Junior will spend four to six years there for aggravated menacing, attempted abduction, felonious assault, and the theft of four different vehicles. That’s the punishment Assistant County Prosecutor Scott Deedrick recommended for Moore, who racked up 14 charges and victimized 13 people in around three hours the morning of July 7th after leaving Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital.
“This is my 27th year, I believe, prosecuting cases. I’ve had a wide variety of cases. When this one came in, I found it incredible and unbelievable, and still to this moment of having gone through the case and gone through all of the evidence, it’s still hard for me to comprehend.”
Moore was taken to the hospital for a mental health evaluation after threatening to jump in front of traffic in Newcomerstown while high on methamphetamine but reportedly became irate and refused treatment. He was apologetic when he appeared before Judge Michael Ernest Monday afternoon to learn his fate.
“I have to face the reality of today. To my victims, I ask for your forgiveness and seek to make amends for the trouble and the pain.”
Moore’s public defender asked for probation or placement at a community-based correctional facility, citing Moore’s lack of a criminal history and obvious need for mental health treatment. However, Ernest didn’t believe those options would adequately punish him for the crimes, which included carjacking a woman in Dover, trying to force a child into a stolen pickup truck, and ramming it into another vehicle.
“While upsetting to you to know this, you have to recognize that this type of conduct cannot simply be addressed by treatment for Ricky.”
The last vehicle Moore stole was a box truck making a delivery at the New Philadelphia Walmart. He ended up turning himself in to Bolivar Police Chief Randy Haugh, who spotted the stolen truck on I-77 and followed it to a gas station off the Faircrest Exit.