Man found guilty in shooting

Stephen Corey of Mentor guilty of felony attempted murder charge in Chardon incident

The jury’s July 20 verdict came just over a year after the shooting outside of the Chardon Tavern and Grill occurred.

A Geauga County jury has found a Mentor man guilty in four of the five charges against him stemming from a July 2020 shooting outside of a Chardon bar.

Stephen Corey, 31, was found guilty of first-degree felony attempted murder, two counts of second-degree felony felonious assault and third-degree felony tampering with evidence. He was found not guilty of first-degree felony attempted aggravated murder.

Corey was also found guilty of firearm specifications on the attempted murder and felonious assault charges. The firearm specifications carry additional mandatory prison time and also require the forfeiture of the gun used in the shooting, a Glock 17 9mm handgun.

The jury’s July 20 verdict came just over a year after the shooting outside of the Chardon Tavern and Grill occurred. Members of the Chardon police and fire departments responded to the scene outside the 405 Water St. bar just before 2 a.m.,

“Changes to the law over the past several years by the General Assembly have made alleged self-defense cases very difficult for prosecutors.” — Geauga County Prosecutor James Flaiz

July 18, 2020. Upon arrival, first-responders found a 35-year-old man, who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds, according to Chardon police.

The victim was transported to University Hospital Geauga Medical Center by the Chardon Fire Department. He was later transferred by medical helicopter to University Hospitals in Cleveland, according Chardon police.

Chardon police said that Corey fled the scene following the shooting. He was apprehended a short distance from the scene.

Geauga County Prosecutor James Flaiz said his office is pleased with the verdict.

“Changes to the law over the past several years by the General Assembly have made alleged selfdefense cases very difficult for prosecutors,” Flaiz

said. “Fortunately, due to the outstanding work of the Chardon Police Department, Geauga County Sheriff’s Office and (Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation), we were able to obtain a conviction.”

Prior to trial, Geauga County Common Pleas Court Judge Carolyn J. Paschke allowed the defense to use the state’s current self-defense law. That law went into effect April 6 of this year. It eliminates the “duty to retreat” element of self-defense if the defendant is “in a place where a person has the right to be.”

The prosecutor’s office argued that the new selfdefense law was being retroactively applied. Corey’s defense attorney Jay Crook argued in a motion that it was not. He argued that all the statute did was “eliminate the uncertainty as to whether someone had previously retreated or could not retreat.”

“The change applies only to procedure, specifically, what must be proven at trial with regards to self-defense,” Crook wrote. “The change was effective in April of 2021, and as such, predated this trial by approximately three months. Mr. Corey is entitled to a jury instruction based on the amended statute.”

Crook did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on the verdict.

A sentencing date has not yet been set, according to court records.

Corey