An Ohio man has been indicted by the Montgomery County Grand Jury on counts related to the assault and shooting of a woman in Vandalia last week, according to the spokesperson for Prosecuting Attorney Mat Heck, Jr.
31-year-old Michael Antwan Auster, Jr. was indicted on four counts relating to the incident and is being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $150,000 bond, the spokesperson said in a media release.
His charges include one count of felonious assault with a deadly weapon, one count of felonious assault- serious physical harm, one count of having weapons while under disability and one count of obstructing official business, the release said.
The defendant was actively on probation at the time of the shooting due to a felonious assault conviction in January of 2021, the spokesperson said. This was an unrelated incident.
On the evening of Oct 21., Vandalia police were dispatched on reports of shots fired and a woman screaming, the spokesperson said.
When officers arrived on scene in the lobby of the Knights Inn on Poe Avenue, they located an adult female victim who had been shot in the ear, the spokesperson said.
At nearly the same time, officers located the defendant who ran across I-75 in an attempt to flee from police, the spokesperson said.
The defendant was taken into custody by Butler Township officers near Miller Lane in Vandalia, the spokesperson said.
Further investigation discovered that the male and female had met online and planned to meet in person, the spokesperson said in the release.
The defendant allegedly became angry and began hitting and kicking the victim when she refused sexual advances from him, the spokesperson said.
The victim managed to escape from the defendant until he chased after her, firing two shots at her, the spokesperson said.
One of the shots struck her in the ear before she managed to flee from the defendant once again, the spokesperson said.
His arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov 1, according to the media release.
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