Mansfield man charged in stabbing of Mifflin Township police officer
A Mansfield man charged with stabbing a Mifflin Township police officer Sunday night was involved in another assault on a police officer a decade ago and sentenced to two years in prison.
Bryan Benjamin, 37, of Mansfield, will be arraigned Tuesday in Franklin County Municipal Court on a charge of felonious assault on a peace officer for attacking a Mifflin Township police office on Sunday night in the 2900 block of Perdue Avenue, according to Franklin County Municipal Court records. Benjamin is currently being held at the county's Jackson Pike jail.
Court records, including an affidavit filed by a Franklin County Sheriff's detective, and information from the Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge #9 indicates that the incident occurred about 8 p.m. Sunday.
A Mifflin Township officer, who has not been identified, was responding to a report of a suspicious person with a disabled vehicle, which was being pushed and had the hood up with jumper cables attached.
At some point during an interaction between the officer and Benjamin, the officer attempted to detain Benjamin. Benjamin resisted the officer, according to the affidavit, and a physical confrontation resulted during which Benjamin is accused of stabbing the officer multiple times in the head with a homemade knife.
Benjamin was arrested on the scene and the knife was recovered. The incident was captured on video and The Dispatch has requesteed a copy of that video.
The injured officer was transported in serious condition to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center in downtown Columbus, but was stabilized.
Benjamin was arrested in 2014 for assaulting a peace officer in Richland County, court records show. He was charged with felony counts of assault on a police officer, felonious assault, harassment with bodily substance (likely spitting) and obstructing official business.
Benjamin's trial in Richland County was delayed multiple times by a not guilty by reason of insanity plea and court-ordered assessments of his competency to stand trial. He was taken to a behavioral health facility for assessment, court records show.
On Jan. 7, 2015, Richland County Common Pleas Court Judge James Reese ordered that Benjamin was found competent to stand trial and that a trial date be set. Two days later, Benjamin agreed to a plea deal under which he pleaded guilty to the charges.
At a sentencing hearing on Feb. 2, 2015, Reese sentenced Benjamin to two years in prison, three years probation on the other charges, and two years community control with sanctions and conditions, court records indicate.
On Oct. 27, 2016, a bench warrant was issued for Benjamin for violating the terms of his probation, court records state. At a hearing on Dec. 20, 2017, he was continued on community control until a year later in December 2018, when he was released from community control.
In March 2017, felony assault and falsification charges were filed against Benjamin in another case. After similar mental health evaluation and treatment, he eventually pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and falsification and was given probation and community control to be served consecutively with the earlier police assault case in Richland County, records show.
Dispatch assistant metro editor Jim Wilhelm contributed to this report.
@ShahidMeighan
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mansfield man charged in stabbing of Mifflin Township police officer
