The two men charged with kidnapping and robbing a Bowling Green State University student in Athens might face trial together.
The Athens County Prosecuting Attorney's Office filed a motion for joinder yesterday in the cases of Scott Stevens, 36, of Columbus, and Robert Norris, 36, of Zanesville. Norris is charged with two counts of kidnapping and one count of aggravated robbery. Stevens is charged with one count each of complicity to kidnapping and complicity to aggravated robbery.
The charges stem from a Jan. 16 incident in which the two men were charged with abducting a 22-year-old Bowling Green student, Kristen Wisler, while she was walking to meet a friend on Congress Street. According to police, the men drove Wisler to a residence in Morgan County, where they kept her for a few hours before driving back toward Athens, where police confronted them.
Patti Jamison, Stevens' attorney, said she is not sure if she will oppose the motion for joinder because police are still gathering information on the case.
There's just too many unanswered questions on it
she said.
Also yesterday, Athens County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Ward viewed a video taken from the police cruiser of Athens County Deputy Sheriff Jim Heater, the officer who initially made contact with the vehicle containing Norris, Stevens and Wisler. The tape, viewed as part of a hearing to suppress Stevens' testimony to police, shows Heater questioning a talkative Stevens.
Jamison argued that Stevens' statements to Heater and to Athens police should not be admissible as evidence in the trial because Stevens was not read his Miranda Rights prior to Heater's questioning.
Heater maintained Stevens' testimony was unsolicited.
I don't think I could've got him to be quiet if I asked him to Heater said.
Because police are still investigating the matter, Ward withheld ruling on the motion to suppress.
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Matt Zapotosky
