When an Ohio man appeared in court earlier this week, he used some choice words—confident, vituperative, and quite loud. What was supposed to be a pretty quiet occasion quickly devolved into chaos.
Zachary Heckathorn, 33, is charged with one count each of assault, criminal trespass, and aggravated menacing, according to the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office and Martins Ferry Police Department.
The accusations originate from an event on November 14, when the defendant reportedly entered Rethreads, a free store operated by the Grace Presbyterian Church on Hanover Street in Martins Ferry, a small town near the West Virginia border and about 60 miles southwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Heckathorn allegedly caused a commotion inside the business and was asked to leave, eventually being led out by a volunteer, according to Martins Ferry Police Chief Vince West, who spoke with Wheeling-based CBS, MyNetworkTV, and ABC affiliate WTRF.
The defendant allegedly returned just after 10 a.m. that day and attacked the volunteer, according to authorities. According to law authorities, the volunteer was hit in the face and torso around 10 to 15 times in total. The intruder then ran down an alleyway.
Heckathorn was apprehended within two blocks of the store, according to police, based on witness accounts.
The suspect has been held in the Belmont County Jail since his arrest. During his hearing this week, he appeared via video stream from jail wearing an orange convict uniform.
As the session began, representatives for both parties asked a continuance, according to a courtroom report from WTRF.
This request evidently didn’t sit well with Heckathorn, who demanded an instant trial and self-representation.
“I believe my lawyer, my so-called lawyer, is incompetent,” remarked the defendant. “I do not want a lawyer to represent me. I can represent myself. I do not desire a continuation. I have previously had a pretrial. A pretrial is still a trial. I’m being denied the right to a fair and fast trial.”
After a little break, the defendant continued.
