A night out at a Lakeshore Boulevard bar ended in a courtroom, not at last call, after an Eastlake man was charged in a stabbing that sent another patron away with serious chest wounds.
Russel James Nadzan, 40, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a felonious assault charge tied to the incident inside a neighborhood pub on Lakeshore Boulevard. The case has been moved into Willoughby Municipal Court, where prosecutors are now reviewing the criminal complaint.
According to a complaint filed in Willoughby Municipal Court and reported by Cleveland.com, Nadzan is accused of stabbing another man three times in the chest with a fixed-blade knife inside North Coast Bar & Grill. The victim is not identified in the complaint or in available court records. A judge set bond at $50,000 cash or surety, or 10%, and ordered Nadzan to have no contact with the alleged victim, to avoid alcohol, and to remain in Ohio while the case is pending. The North Coast Bar & Grill is listed at the Lakeshore Boulevard address in Eastlake on local business directories, according to Restaurantji.
What the Charge Carries
Felonious assault under Ohio law covers knowingly causing serious physical harm to another person, or causing harm with a deadly weapon, as spelled out in the state code. For a second-degree felony, Ohio sentencing guidelines call for an indefinite prison term with a court-selected minimum of two to eight years, subject to the judge weighing any aggravating or mitigating factors allowed by law. Those provisions in the Ohio Revised Code apply at sentencing if there is a conviction after a guilty verdict or plea.
Police Response and Next Steps
Eastlake police investigated the alleged assault, and officials have not released further details on the victim's condition or what led up to the stabbing, Cleveland.com reports. Nadzan entered his not guilty plea at his first court appearance and remains bound by the bond terms and no-contact order as prosecutors and defense attorneys prepare for the next phase of the case. Future hearings will be scheduled by Willoughby Municipal Court as filings move forward.
For now, the community and the court are waiting on any additional police updates or new filings from prosecutors that might reshape the case. We will continue to monitor public records and court dockets for developments as they become available.
