A man facing felony charges of kidnapping and abduction has been declared competent to stand trial.

On August 13, Ross was found to be “capable of understanding the nature and proceedings against him,” by the Brown County Court of Common Pleas clinic forensic services, according to court of common pleas documents.

On June 6, Ross was indicted by the Brown County Grand Jury on two counts of kidnapping, a first-degree felony, one count of abduction, a third-degree felony, one count of domestic violence, a fourth-degree misdemeanor, and three counts of endangering children, all first-degree misdemeanors.

The charges stem from an incident involving Ross’ wife Tricia Ross on May 19, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in the Brown County Municipal Court.

According to the affidavit, when Tricia Ross returned to her and Deron’s home in Sardinia after work, Deron Ross emerged from the bedroom and pointed a Glock 22, which is a .40 caliber pistol, at her face. Deron Ross then told Tricia Ross to “make peace with God,” and later Deron Ross told he and Tricia’s three children to “tell Mommy goodbye.”

The affidavit continues that Deron Ross told Tricia Ross he was bi-polar and had been depressed for the two weeks prior to the incident, following Tricia Ross’ request that the pair get divorced. Deron Ross was allegedly hospitalized twice for depression and threatening suicide in that span.

Tricia Ross, who is an EMT with Sardinia Life Squad, according to the organization’s website, then received a call to respond to an emergency, and was able to persuade Deron Ross to let her leave, according to the affidavit. Deron Ross then allegedly threatened Tricia Ross that he would kill her if she called 9-1-1, but on her way home from the lifesquad run, Tricia Ross dialed 9-1-1 anyway.

An officer from the Brown County Sheriff’s Office found Deron Ross in his bedroom facing the front wall, with the pistol unloaded, according to the affidavit.

A witness allegedly stated in the affidavit that he had seen Deron Ross point a gun at Tricia Ross. Deron Ross was soon read his Miranda rights and transported to the Brown County Adult Detention Center. He’s being held on $150,000 bond, and remains in jail as of press time.

Following his indictment, Deron Ross’s then court-appointed defense attorney Julie Steddom filed a motion for psychiatric examination, with a suggestion of incompetency on June 17, according to court of common pleas documents. Deron Ross later retained Nicholas Ring as his defense attorney.

On the same date, Deron Ross also entered a written plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.

But nearly two months later, on August 13, Deron Ross was found competent to stand trial and Brown County Court of Common Pleas judge Scott T. Gusweiler scheduled case proceedings to continue, starting with a pre-trial on August 31.

In a separate, unrelated case, Patrick H. Aubry II, of Fayetteville, was sentenced to a total of three years in the Ohio Department of Corrections for a conviction of failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer, a third-degree felony, according to court of common pleas documents.

Aubry was indicted on July 6 on one count of failure to comply, one count of unauthorized use of a vehicle, a first-degree misdemeanor, and two counts of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, both first-degree misdemeanors.

The latter three counts were dropped in Aubry’s plea deal, but previous convictions for robbery in 2013 and theft in 2006 led to his strong sentence.

Aubry was also given a driver’s license suspension for five years, with the first three years mandatory and with no privileges.

Deron Ross
https://www.newsdemocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_MUGSHOTS_34010549.jpgDeron Ross

By Daniel Karell

dkarell@civitasmedia.com

Reach Daniel Karell at 937-378-6161. Follow him on Twitter @GNDKarell