Man's release sparks concern

SANDUSKY — A man with a history of mental illness and violent conduct in Sandusky is due to be released from prison this October. Family members of an elderly woman he was accused of stabbing — the case that landed him behind bars — are now fearful of further violence. Marvin Roberts, 52, of the 1800 block of Third St., was sentenced to prison on Feb. 24, 2022, by Erie County Common Pleas Court Judge Beverly McGookey after he was accused of attacking 78-year-old Joyce Rogers inside her Farwell Street home in October 2018 by stabbing her in the head with a knife. Roberts was indicted in December 2018 on felony counts of aggravated burglary and felonious assault. Roberts pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated burglary in exchange for another three felonies to be dismissed. Roberts is scheduled to be released on Oct. 3, and it is believed he will return to his home, which is in same area where he attacked Joyce Rogers in Oct. 2018. Joyce Rogers passed away in January 2023 at the age of 82, her obituary states. Her son, Anthony Rogers, 62, of Port Clinton, said that he is concerned that Roberts — whose attack on his mother represented the latest act or threat of violence involving his family — could target his relatives once again. "My problem is that he was living down on Third Street, and my mom lived on Farwell Street, which is about less than half a mile from my parent's house," Anthony Rogers said. "They might as well set him up at my dad's doorstep." That leaves him wondering what can be done to protect his loved ones and others in the neighborhood. A troubled past According to Anthony Rogers, this isn't the first time that Roberts has terrorized the residents of Farwell Street. In 2006, Roberts had written a hit list that included everyone from the police, lawyers, and even friends and family, including Anthony Rogers's brother. "The police searched his house and found a hit list and metal bowl of batteries and wires, equipment to build explosives," Anthony Rogers said. "He had police, lawyers and my family listed on that list, people from this neighborhood." Anthony Rogers told the Register in 2018 that the police warned his family that his brothers were on Marvin Roberts' hit list and that police found sketches of bombs in Roberts' home. During that same incident, which occurred in 2006, police also located a metal can filled with wires and batteries in Roberts' home. The device was safely disposed of by Lorain County's bomb squad, who indicated that it could have been used as a bomb if explosive powder had been added. Roberts was eventually found not guilty by reason of insanity on charges related to the hit list and the explosive materials. But before there was ever any hit list, Anthony Rogers said he and Roberts grew up together and played together in the same Sandusky neighborhood as kids before Roberts moved away in his late teens. "When he's taking his medicine and in his right mind, they're friends," Anthony Rogers said in reference to the friendship between Roberts and his brother. "But when he's off his meds and not in his right mind, he's capable of killing someone." A timeline for some of Roberts' criminal charges in addition to the attack on Joyce Rogers, according to court records, includes: • July 16, 2014 — domestic violence. Roberts allegedly jumped on a woman at a Shelby Street home. Pleaded no contest. • Dec. 18, 2014 — disorderly conduct. Police allegedly found Roberts in a laundromat after he'd been told to leave the day before. Pleaded no contest. • April 9, 2015 — aggravated menacing. Allegedly told two people they were going to die. Pleaded no contest. • Feb. 8, 2016 — vandalism. Allegedly threw a brick through a store window; the store was owned by a person whose name was on Roberts' 2006 hit list. Pleaded guilty to attempted vandalism and was sentenced to 180 days in jail. Roberts spent more than 250 days in Toledo's Northwest Ohio Psychiatric Hospital as a part of competency proceedings in his case involving Joyce Rogers; he was eventually deemed competent to stand trial before entering a guilty plea. But that wasn't his first experience being institutionalized, Anthony Rogers said. "If you look at his record, he has done all kinds of stuff," Anthony Rogers said. "He's been in and out of jail probably two or three times (and) they send him to a mental hospital, say he is stable, let him serve 18 months and then they turn him back loose in the same neighborhood." How can victims feel safe? Local officials, including Erie County prosecutor's office victim assistance director Sarah Reynolds, said that even if a criminal suspect is released, victims and their families can still receive protection. If a victim of a crime and their family is concerned for his or her safety, Reynolds said there are services available that they can register for through the state's Office of Victim Services and VINELink, an online resource that shows an inmate's current status including criminal case information. "The prison system has the ability to work with victims throughout the offender's prison sentence and post-release control," Reynolds said. "The victim has the right to request services and notification for offender updates." The Office of Victim Services can notify the victim and their family about an inmate's location transfers, parole board hearings and release from prison. Victims can work with them in order to make sure that an inmate is restricted from contacting them, along with offender-victim mediation, among other things. The Erie County prosecutor's office's victim assistance program will help victims seek protection orders and file for crime victim compensation through the Ohio Attorney General's Office. "Furthermore, in many instances I will be contacted by the (state prison system) to help obtain victim information so they may contact the person when an offender is being released," Reynolds said. Even before an offender goes to prison, victims have the ability to provide their "input to the prosecutors and court during the court process when plea negotiations are being considered and through victim impact statements to the court." Reynolds said that it is important for victims and their families to be aware of what help is available to them and actively use them in an effort to not be re-victimized and become empowered. "Teamwork is paramount to helping victims overcome a traumatic incident and helping them move forward in the aftermath," Reynolds said. Could court action occur? A process does exist to commit a person to a mental health facility against their will, but it wasn't clear if that would be pursued for Roberts. Known as "civil involuntary commitment," a person can file an affidavit with a probate court judge seeking the judge to commit an individual deemed a "mentally ill person subject to court order" to a mental health care facility, according to information on involuntary mental health treatment published by the Ohio Legislative Serice Commission. The judge will order a hearing to go over the facts of the case before making a decision. It wasn't immediately clear if the Erie County prosecutor's office, or anyone else, would pursue a civil involuntary commitment for Roberts. County prosecutor Kevin Baxter did not respond to requests for comment.