BOARDMAN — A former Austintown and Youngstown State University counselor is facing new charges that may hamper his chances of having his license reinstated.

Joseph T. Marzano will appear Aug. 24 in Mahoning County Court in Boardman for a pretrial hearing, after pleading not guilty last week to a charge of aggravated menacing.

Marzano turned himself in to police on July 27 on a warrant for the charge, which stemmed from a June 4 incident at the Boardman home of a former patient.

In May 2021, Marzano signed a consent agreement with the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, Marriage and Family Therapist Board, by which his license was suspended for three years, beginning July 1, 2021. The consent agreement cited Ohio Administrative Code prohibiting sexual relationships — consensual or not — with clients, according to the therapist board.

At about 2 a.m. June 4, police were called to the 5500 block of Sharon Drive regarding a man walking in between houses. When police arrived to take the complaint, the caller pointed out the man, who was standing and talking with a woman in the driveway of a home across the street.

According to the police report, officers could hear the two arguing quietly. They separated them and spoke first to the man, Marzano. He gave police conflicting stories about whether he had walked or driven to the house from his nearby home on Rosewood Drive, and said he had believed the woman invited him over but was mistaken. Marzano told police he had a past relationship with the woman.

The woman told a different story. According to the report, she said Marzano had been her counselor years before but they had had a “falling out.” She also told police she had sued Marzano and that he had stalked her up until April 2022, but she had not heard from him since.

Police issued Marzano a trespass warning and advised the woman about how to obtain a protection order. Marzano was allowed to walk home.

At some point, a warrant was issued for Marzano because of the incident, and he turned himself in at the Mahoning County jail on July 27.

It is unclear if the woman at the Sharon Drive home is related to the case that resulted in the suspension of Marzano’s license. Marzano had been a counselor at Comprehensive Behavioral Health in Austintown. He also provided counseling for YSU’s athletic programs as recently as 2020.

Marzano also was ordered to undergo counseling for two years during his suspension before his license could be reinstated, and advised that his practice would be under direct supervision for two years after the suspension is lifted.

Brian Carnahan, executive director of the therapist board that suspended Marzano, said the board was not yet aware of the new charges against Marzano, and did not say if or how the new allegations would affect his status.

“The board has authority to discipline a licensee if they commit a misdemeanor in the course of practice, or when the licensee is convicted of a felony under any circumstances,” he said.

Marzano’s charge is a first-degree misdemeanor.

Marzano also was reprimanded by the board in 2004 and his designation as a counseling supervisor revoked after he failed to maintain proper client records and, in some cases, that failure led to patients not receiving necessary services.

dpompili@vindy.com