A Portage County grand jury has indicted two men accused of robbing a third man at gunpoint outside a Ravenna bar in September, with both facing a first-degree felony charge that carries a firearm specification. Devonte Deon Ashford, 29, and David D. Ashford, 27, are named in the indictment.
According to the Record-Courier, the grand jury's indictment accuses the pair of robbing the man of his wallet and cellphone outside the bar. The newspaper reports that both men were indicted on first-degree felony aggravated robbery with a firearm specification, along with fifth-degree felony theft of a credit card.
The indictment also includes two lesser charges against both defendants: first-degree misdemeanor theft and first-degree misdemeanor assault, the report notes. An indictment is only an accusation, and neither man has been convicted of any of the charges.
What the Charges Mean Under Ohio Law
Under the Ohio Revised Code section covering aggravated robbery, the offense is classified as a felony of the first degree, the most serious felony tier short of the state's highest violent-crime classifications. The firearm specification attached to the charge, outlined in a separate section of the Ohio Revised Code, applies when prosecutors allege an offender had a firearm on or about their person, or under their control, while committing the offense.
That specification can add separate, mandatory prison time on top of any sentence for the underlying felony if a defendant is ultimately convicted. The credit-card theft charge, by contrast, is a much lower-level fifth-degree felony, the lowest felony tier in Ohio's sentencing structure.
Bond and Arraignment
Court records place the alleged robbery at Bar 130 on East Main Street in Ravenna on Sept. 19. Devonte Ashford was held on a $250,000 cash or surety bond, and David Ashford on a $200,000 cash or surety bond. The Ashfords were scheduled for arraignment before Portage County Common Pleas Judge Laurie Pittman on Nov. 2.
