ASHLAND — Bond was set at $5 million Friday afternoon for an Ashland man accused of shooting a Mansfield woman to death earlier this week.
Ryan Stroup, 30, was charged Friday with the aggravated murder of 41-year-old Tina Goad, whose body was found Tuesday at a location near County Road 1600 in Ashland County.
Ashland County Prosecuting Attorney Chris Tunnell said during Friday’s bond hearing Stroup was found with a firearm in his possession and directed detectives to the area where Goad’s body was found.
“The defendant left Cleveland voluntarily with detectives and directed them to a location off County Road 1600 in Ashland County. There, law enforcement found Miss Goad’s remains, and it appears that she did in fact die of the result of multiple gunshot wounds,” Tunnell said.
The prosecutor said he anticipates more charges to come, including multiple first-degree felonies. The existing aggravated murder charge carries the potential maximum sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
“The investigation is ongoing and is continuing to produce evidence of the defendant’s culpability,” Tunnell said.
Stroup entered a “not guilty” plea on Friday through his attorney, James Mayer III.
During the overnight hours between Monday, Jan. 25 and Tuesday, Jan. 26, Stroup is accused of killing Goad.
Authorities said on Tuesday at 2:15 a.m., the WARCOG dispatch center received a call from a concerned family member that his male relative called him and admitted he had picked up a woman in an Ashland bar and then killed her.
According to the Ashland Police Department, officers and detectives worked throughout the morning to locate the man’s vehicle at numerous locations.
“Based upon the caller’s concern alone, the Ashland Police Department and the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office coordinated to investigate this matter,” Tunnell said Friday.
Stroup was found at a motel in Cleveland with a firearm in his possession.
Goad was reported missing Tuesday afternoon, according to a release from Ashland City Police Chief David Marcelli. She had been last seen at a bar in Ashland on the evening of Jan. 25, and left with a white male.
Ashland County Common Pleas Court Judge Ron Forsthoefel set Stroup’s bond at $5 million.
If he is able to post bond, Stroup is to abide by a 24-7 curfew at his residence and is to be monitored via GPS. He would be subject to random drug and alcohol screening and not permitted to have any contact with the victim’s family.
Tunnell had requested a $5 million cash bond, but Judge Forsthoefel did not oblige. A cash bond would have required the full bail amount and is not financed through a bail agent.
“(The Prosecutor’s Office) considers the defendant to be a danger to the public, especially women and a flight risk,” Tunnell said.
Stroup was an Ashland resident for the past six years. He graduated from Mansfield Senior High School in 2009 and had lived his life between Mansfield and Ashland, Mayer said.
He noted that his client had no previous felony record, while Tunnell highlighted Stroup’s history of misdemeanor charges.
Tunnell mentioned petty theft and assault charges from 2012 in Richland County, disorderly conduct charges from 2013 in Columbus and violation of a protection order from 2018 in Geauga County.
According to Tunnell, a probation violation relating to a protection order was filed in September 2020, and Stroup was sentenced to continued probation on Jan. 12.
The Chardon Municpal Court issued an additional warrant for another probation violation on Jan. 27, relating to a separate incident, Tunnell said.
A preliminary hearing is set for Thursday, Feb. 4 at 3 p.m.
Earlier this week, Ashland County law enforcement received assistance from the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Ohio State Highway Patrol Criminal Intelligence Section, the United States Marshal’s Service, the Ashland County Coroner’s Office and the Cleveland Police Department.
“Ashland County law enforcement took an unsubstantiated and unverified allegation of potential criminal conduct, partnered with multiple agencies, pooled resources and discovered that a heinous and terrible crime had been committed in Ashland County. Within a day, officers had gathered critical evidence, had a suspect in custody, and located the victim,” Tunnell said. “This is prime example of what happens when law enforcement agencies cooperate, coordinate, and take every allegation seriously.
“Unfortunately, law enforcement’s best work is often during the worst of circumstances. While we are proud of the efforts of our officers, our thoughts and prayers are with the victim and her family, as we move forward in this case,” the prosecutor said.
