MANSFIELD — A Perrysville man accused of shooting an Ontario police officer and female hostage during a standoff has been indicted on 42 charges by a Richland County grand jury.
Jareth Vance, 32, was scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing Thursday in Mansfield Municipal Court.
However, a 42-count indictment returned Wednesday, allowed prosecutors to drop the pending case in municipal court, according to court records.
He remains in the Richland County Jail on a cash bond of $1 million, set Feb. 12 during his initial appearance before the court.
Richland County Prosecutor Jodie Schumacher told Richland Source Thursday afternoon that Vance, if convicted on all counts, faces a maximum sentence approaching 200 years.
“The potential prison exposure is well above a human’s natural lifespan,” said Schumacher, who added potential arguments to merge specific counts could result in a lesser sentence.
Thirty-seven of the 42 charges are considered felonies. The five other counts are misdemeanors.
Twenty-seven of his charges carry a gun specification.
Vance is charged with four counts of attempted aggravated murder and four counts of attempted murder for his actions Feb. 11.
Additional charges include aggravated burglary; seven counts of felonious assault; 11 counts of kidnapping; aggravated arson; six counts of menacing by stalking; inducing panic; disrupting public services; possessing criminal tools; aggravated menacing; two counts of attempted cruelty to companion animals, and misdemeanor theft.
Landings Court standoff
Most charges relate to a Feb. 11 standoff in Ontario where Vance is accused of shooting an Ontario police officer and female hostage.
Ontario police responded to 1019 Landings Court on an alleged violation of a protection order Sunday at 8:47 p.m., a legal document meaning Vance was to have no contact with the woman who obtained it.
According to Ontario police, Vance was holding a female hostage at gunpoint at the residence.
Officers attempted to free the hostage, when Vance fired at them and shot officer Dylan Bailey, according to police.
Bailey was hospitalized and was in stable condition around Feb. 15, according to previous reporting from Richland Source.
Vance also allegedly shot the female hostage, who was taken to the hospital. The female victim’s condition has not been released.
After the shooting, Vance went inside the residence and began a standoff which lasted four hours.
Hostage negotiators were called to the scene with Ontario police, the Richland County ASORT team, Mansfield police, Shelby police, the Richland County Sheriff’s Office and the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Vance was also arrested in Crawford County last month on domestic violence charges. Crawford County Municipal Court issued a no-contact order with the victim on Jan. 29.
Charges are pending in that case.