OTTAWA — A man who made a threat against a judge may pursue an insanity defense, his attorney said Friday.
Matthew Stateler, 34, entered a not guilty plea to all charges against him and his attorney, Joe Benavidez, said he would be filing a not guilty by reason of insanity plea.
Stateler, of Columbus Grove, is charged with retaliation, a third-degree felony; harassment with bodily substance, fifth-degree felony; and aggravated menacing, a first-degree misdemeanor. He faces up to four years in prison.
He is accused of making a threatening comment about Judge Randall Basinger after a hearing in a domestic violence and felonious assault case. The threat was made May 20, Putnam County Prosecutor Gary Lammers said.
Stateler also is facing a charge that accuses him of spitting on a deputy after officers placed him in a restraint chair at the Putnam County jail.
Visiting Judge David Faulkner, of Hardin County, was assigned to the case. Faulkner set a $50,000 bond.
