CLEVELAND, Ohio — Taylor Crisman, 18, and Chris Hill, 23, pleaded not guilty Tuesday during their arraignment in Cleveland’s U.S. District Court.
The duo are charged with holding a Mansfield family hostage overnight and forcing the husband to rob a bank on Nov. 6. Crisman and Hill face a 12-count indictment, according to attorney Larry Whitney, who represents Crisman.
Counts (summarized by Whitney)
1. Bank robbery.
2-5. Kidnapping.
6. Receiving $194,845 in U.S. currency as ransom.
7-10. Detaining victim number one, two, three and four (Brian McConnell, Ontario KeyBank manager, and his family) in order to compel manager to obtain money.
11. Brandishing a firearm during hostage taking.
12. Using threat of force against a witness to prevent or delay testimony of that witness.
Crisman and Hill appeared with their attorneys, Whitney and Fernando Mack respectively, Tuesday morning. The arraignment follows their arrest on Dec. 2 in Galion — just under one month after the incident.
On Nov. 5, McConnell came home to find his wife and two children held hostage at gunpoint. According to an FBI press release, the hostage scenario lasted until the next morning when McConnell was forced to drive to the bank and bring back between $100,000 and $200,000.
According to authorities, the family was held at the home as McConnell drove to the bank.
Crisman and Hill were taken into custody after a traffic stop at the Circle K gas station in Galion. The arrests were made by agents from the Cleveland Division of the FBI, Mansfield and Canton resident offices, along with officers from the Ontario Police Department and Richland County Sheriff’s Office.
According to an FBI press release, evidence has been obtained at various locations where the two individuals recently resided, including a fedora hat and bandanna believed to be worn by Crisman while he held the family hostage. Authorities also recovered a .38 caliber handgun believed to be used by Crisman.
Crisman’s home address is listed as 584 N. Union Street in Galion. Galion Chief of Police Brian Saterfield said Crisman has a history in the Crawford County Juvenile Court system.
His attorney said he is not aware of any criminal history.
“As far as I can determine, he’s a first offender,” Whitney said.
Authorities recovered items belonging to the McConnell family during their probe.
“Sure, there’s evidence that has been collected. We have two suspects that obviously have been charged. It’s an ongoing investigation. The evidence will show during the court process — it’s needed until the investigation is over,” FBI Special Agent Vicki Anderson said.
Two pretrial dates have been set for Tuesday, Jan. 26 and Monday, Feb. 22. A trial date is set for Monday, Feb. 29. All trial dates will take place at Cleveland’s U.S. District Court.
