YOUNGSTOWN — An Austintown man charged with assaulting police officers in September can face trial following a series of evaluations and treatment.

Youngstown Municipal Court on Thursday ruled Keishaun Sims, 26, is competent to stand trial for a charge in connection with assaulting police officers in the Youngstown Police Department lobby in 2023.

The defense and prosecution stipulated that Sims was to be restored to competency, and Judge Carla Baldwin agreed. Sims then waived his right to have a preliminary hearing, and Baldwin transferred Sims’ charges over to the grand jury in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

He is charged with aggravated robbery, two counts of assault on a police officer and three misdemeanors — obstructing official business and two counts of menacing.

Baldwin ordered Sims to be evaluated for competency in September, and the parties stipulated in October that he was not competent at that time after an evaluation by the Forensic Psychiatric Center of Northeast Ohio in Austintown. He was then transferred to the state mental hospital, Heartland Behavioral Healthcare in Massillon.

In December, a doctor gave the court the opinion that forced antipsychotic medication was necessary, and there was a no-less restrictive way to restore Sims to competency. Visiting Judge David Fuhry approved the forced medication.

In court Thursday, Sims’ attorney, Rhys Cartwright-Jones, described Sims’ restoration as “a long, tough process.” During the part of the hearing regarding waiving the preliminary hearing, the judge said she was going to grant Sims a personal recognizance bond with electronically monitored house arrest.

She said she was granting that type of release “based on conversations I’ve had with counsel prior to today’s hearing and now that the defendant is competent and doing well, per recent reports.” Bond initially was set at $100,000, and he was to have no contact with Youngstown police.

SEPTEMBER INCIDENT

Sims was captured on body camera video in a confrontation with a police officer working a window inside the police department lobby, where the public can ask questions or file a police report.

According to a Youngstown police report, Sims came into the lobby asking the officer to speak with a “manager” but did not provide a reason or a specific case he wanted to discuss. He was told he would need to leave. Sims was “not making sense,” so the officer told him to leave.

The officer left his desk and entered the lobby and asked Sims again to leave. Sims then suddenly struck the officer on the side of the face and head, the report states.

The officer asked for assistance, and another officer in plain clothes arrived to see the initial officer with his service weapon nearly unholstered. The officer was fighting with Sims and fighting to keep his firearm holstered, the report states.

Body camera video of the episode showed the officer leaving his desk and opening a locked door to an inner area of the lobby and Sims becoming verbally aggressive, saying “Make me leave.” When the officer told Sims he was “mental,” Sims physically attacked the officer.

Sims can be seen standing over the officer, holding him down, and still demanding that the officer “call someone.” Sims let the officer get up, but the physical confrontation continued until two other officers arrived and brought Sims under control.

Two officers suffered injuries and were transported to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital. Sims was taken to the hospital, where he refused treatment. Hospital staff required the officers and Sims to wait in the same waiting room for treatment. Sims threatened officers, the report states.

Sims was taken to the jail, but the jail required Sims to be checked at the hospital, so they took him back to the hospital, the report states.

Meanwhile, officers found the vehicle Sims had come to the police department in and had it towed. Inside the vehicle, officers later found a pistol with a bullet in the chamber and 17 more in the magazine. Another 25 rounds were found elsewhere in the vehicle.

Sims was in possession of a concealed carry permit, but the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office advised it was in the process of suspending Sims’ permit because of this incident.

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