August 23, 2001
Loesser facing new charges
By Ryan Good
Staff Writer
A Tiffin man is facing new charges on the other side of the state for a 1996 incident in which authorities believe he held his family at gunpoint and eventually shot himself.
Raymond J. Loesser, 38, 21 Main St., originally was indicted by a Washington County grand jury on charges of kidnapping, attempted rape, domestic violence and child endangerment stemming from an incident at his chiropractic office in Marietta, according to published reports from the Marietta Times.
Those reports state that Loesser's wife came to visit him at the office with their infant son. Once inside, Loesser allegedly brandished a gun and attempted to force his wife to have sex. His wife talked him into putting their son back in the car outside. She then left the office.
Loesser then went back inside the office where he shot twice into the wall and then shot himself under the left eye with a 9mm pistol, the Times reported after Loesser was indicted in 1997. He then spent about a month in the hospital from the injuries.
The charges were dismissed a year later when Loesser was ruled incompetent to stand trial.
Loesser was indicted Monday by a Washington County grand jury on two counts of kidnapping, and one count each of attempted rape, attempted murder and felonious assault, according to Washington County Common Pleas Court reports.
Washington County Prosecuting Attorney Michael Spahr told the Marietta Times in a story published Tuesday that the case was reopened after investigators received information about Loesser's present condition that led them to believe he can now stand trial.
Spahr said in a Tuesday telephone interview that he became aware of Loesser's activities when a Washington County Sheriff's deputy paid a visit to Tiffin to check on him.
"If he can engage in that much activity, he can come down here and revisit his charges," Spahr said over the phone.
He added that there wasn't one specific event that led him to refile the charges, but one of the events Spahr cited was Loesser inquiring about reapplying for a chiropractor's license.
The prosecutor also said Loesser's two cases in Tiffin Municipal Court didn't factor into his decision.
In one case, Loesser was charged with pedestrian walking along a highway after a May 26, 2000 incident in which Loesser was walking down the middle of Jefferson Street, according to Tiffin Municipal Court documents.
Police reports filed in the case state that Loesser told police that his guide dog had been stolen.
Loesser then became aggressive, making derogatory remarks to Tiffin Police Officer Rob Bour. The officer then put his hands up as Loesser approached him and the two made physical contact.
When the two made contact, Loesser yelled and acted as if he had been thrown to the ground and claimed he was injured, the report shows.
The report also states Loesser's fall was not initiated by Bour.
In the other case in municipal court, Loesser is charged with making a false statement about police conduct.
According to documents in that case, Loesser reported a domestic dispute on April 30 which officers found to be false.
He called back later the same day and claimed that Tiffin Police officers John Dell or Doug Skornicka had placed his firearm in Loesser's mouth and threatened him. In a May 1 interview with police he admitted that the allegations against the officers was false.
In the second case, he was placed on a year-long pre-trial diversion program on Aug. 10. He has another hearing on Sept. 5 on whether or not he can pay fines and court costs related to the case.
Marietta in Washington County is located in the southeastern corner of Ohio.