By Aidan Creager
BGSU criminal justice major
A two-day trial last week in the Wood County Court of Common Pleas witnessed some unique circumstances in the courtroom and a conviction for a person not allowed to possess firearms.
Shanah Newsome Sr., 46, was charged with one count of having weapons under disability, a third-degree felony with the possibility of three years in prison. The Toledo resident has a prior felony conviction for aggravated assault and domestic violence from a 2021 incident in Wood County. As a result, he is legally prohibited from owning, possessing, or using firearms or other deadly weapons.
The facts presented to the jury were that Newsome was a guest at the Baymont Inn in Northwood and, while outside the motel, he fired a gun into the air. Security camera footage showed Newsome outside the motel with the gun, firing it into the air, and then carrying the gun into the motel.
A Baymont Inn employee testified he heard three gunshots around 3 a.m. The police were notified the next day and began an investigation.
Northwood police recovered three shell casings near the northwest entrance. Through security footage police were able to identify Shanah as the suspect. The testimony of the investigating officer and the video were both presented to the jury.
During the trial, Newsome was caught livestreaming the court proceedings on Facebook. Over five hours of footage from the first day of the trial was posted. In response, Judge Matt Reger ordered the media to be taken down, warning that Shanah would face contempt of court if the footage remained online. Prosecuting Attorney Anderson strongly condemned the act, calling it a “perversion of justice.”
After a two-day trial and an hour and a half of deliberation, the jury returned a guilty verdict. Once the verdict was delivered, the jury was excused, and Reger moved directly to sentencing.
Following a tearful apology from Newsome, Reger sentenced him to 36 months in the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, referring to him as a “danger to society.” Reger emphasized that Newsome’s lengthy and violent criminal record was too significant to overlook.
Newsome was taken into custody following the sentencing on October 3.
