A 66-year-old man is sitting in the Fayette County Jail without bond after police say he pointed a gun at motel staff, barricaded himself in his room, and then fired shots at officers who had surrounded the building. Charles Ray Messer now faces six criminal charges stemming from the hours-long confrontation at the City Motel on Washington Avenue in Washington Court House, Ohio, after what began as a request to remove an unruly guest spiraled into a full tactical response.
According to WHIO TV, the Washington Court House Police Department was called to the motel around 12:40 p.m. last Thursday after staff asked for help removing Messer from the property. Officers say Messer brandished a firearm while walking to and from his room and pointed it toward motel office staff, prompting employees to request police assistance. Police then say Messer refused to answer officers' attempts to contact him at his room, and officers made nearly an hour of unsuccessful attempts to establish communication before the situation turned tactical.
Standoff Escalates as Police Try Door, Drone
Officers attempted to open Messer's room door and sent in a drone to check on him, but he held the door closed and then slammed it shut again once it had been opened, per the same account from WHIO TV. When officers observed Messer holding a handgun on the drone's live video feed, they retreated behind cover. The Fayette County Sheriff's Office sent deputies to assist Washington Court House Police during the standoff, according to The Guardian.
With verbal negotiations failed, the department's Special Response Team deployed CS gas projectiles and grenades into both the front and rear of Messer's room to force him outside, the Record Herald reports. Officers also fired a less-lethal round toward Messer, though it did not strike him, and he retreated back into the room. Police say Messer then fired at officers positioned behind the room and, after opening the front door, fired shots into the building's overhang.
Surrender After Chemical Exposure, Then a Struggle
Messer exited the front door unarmed after about five minutes of exposure to the CS gas, but he did not immediately comply with officers' verbal commands, prompting police to tackle him to the ground before taking him into custody without further incident, per WHIO TV's reporting. He was transported to Adena Fayette Medical Center and treated for minor injuries and exposure to the chemical agent before being formally booked into the Fayette County Jail on September 17.
Court filings obtained after his arraignment in Washington Court House Municipal Court lay out the full scope of the case against him. Messer was ordered held without bond on six formal charges: four first-degree felony counts of felonious assault with a deadly weapon, one count of inducing panic, and one count of aggravated menacing, according to The Scioto Post. The outlet reports that the inducing panic count was filed for creating a public safety emergency that required a multi-hour tactical response, while the aggravated menacing charge stems from the allegation that Messer pointed a handgun at motel office staff before police even arrived.
Why the Charges Carry Such Heavy Penalties
Under Ohio Revised Code § 2903.11, felonious assault with a deadly weapon is normally a second-degree felony carrying two to eight years in prison, according to Smith Law. But because Messer's four counts allegedly targeted peace officers, the charges escalate to first-degree felonies carrying three to 11 years in prison per count and fines up to $20,000. Ohio law explicitly elevates assault penalties in cases involving officers acting in the line of duty.
That exposure grows further under the state's sentencing structure. Ohio's Reagan Tokes Law provides an indefinite sentence in which the court sets a minimum and an offender may serve additional time up to a maximum term, explains Patituce & Associates. The law applies to first- and second-degree felonies committed in Ohio after March 2019, meaning Messer's four felony counts would each carry that indefinite sentencing framework if he is convicted.
The City Motel
The City Motel, an independently operated lodging establishment on Washington Avenue, sits along a main commercial corridor in the Fayette County seat, according to GoHotelly.
The Washington Court House Police Department operates out of headquarters at 130 N. Fayette Street and maintains its own tactical and SWAT capabilities, according to Discover Policing. That specialized unit was the Special Response Team that ultimately ended Thursday's standoff. It remains unclear when his preliminary hearing will be scheduled in Washington Court House Municipal Court.
