WARREN, A Columbia County grand jury indicted a 24-year-old Warren man on 11 counts Thursday, including two of unlawful use of a weapon, after a burglary call to his father’s house on Marracci Road turned into an investigation of what a woman said happened to her there the day before. The indictment does not include the kidnapping charge the sheriff’s office had said it was adding.
Andrew James Hanson was arraigned on the indictment Oct. 22 before Judge Nickolas Brajcich, pleaded not guilty to all counts and had his release revoked, with security set at $75,000, according to the Columbia County Circuit Court case register for case 26CR56618. A pretrial conference is set for Nov. 18 and a 12-person jury trial for Dec. 15 before Judge Denise Keppinger.
The Charges
The court record lists two sets of offense dates. For Oct. 18, the day deputies answered the burglary call: first-degree burglary, a Class A felony, and first-degree criminal mischief. For Oct. 17, the day before: two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, two of coercion, felony fourth-degree assault, two counts of menacing, harassment and interference with making a report. Seven of the 11 counts are felonies.
Hanson was first arraigned Oct. 19 on only the burglary and criminal mischief counts, pleaded not guilty, and was released the next day on a monitored pretrial agreement that barred contact with the alleged victims. Two days later the grand jury returned the indictment adding counts three through 11, the district attorney moved to revoke his release, and the judge did.
What the Sheriff’s Office Said
Deputies were called about 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, by a homeowner who said his adult son had broken in while he was away hunting, according to a sheriff’s office account reported by KLOG. Deputies found a door kicked in, holes in the walls, drug paraphernalia and trash through the house, and arrested Hanson in Deer Island. Investigators then spoke with a woman who said she had gone to the house the day before to help clean it. She told deputies Hanson became violent, restrained her when she tried to leave, threatened to hurt her, demanded money and fashioned a makeshift “shank,” and that she got away several hours later. The sheriff’s office said it was adding kidnapping among other charges; the grand jury charged coercion, menacing and unlawful use of a weapon instead.
Other Cases
Court records show two other open misdemeanor cases. In case 26CR40835, Hanson pleaded not guilty Aug. 17 to first-degree criminal trespass and unlawful possession of methamphetamine from a July 13 incident; he failed to appear for a diversion hearing Sept. 11 and a warrant was issued. In case 26CR57249, filed Oct. 22, he is charged with harassment from a Sept. 17 incident and pleaded not guilty the same day. His Oct. 20 release agreement in the felony case required him to comply with the July case’s conditions.
Scott Baldwin is Hanson’s court-appointed attorney. The charges are allegations; Hanson has not been convicted of anything in these cases.