Thursday, May 31st, 2018
Boater allegedly made threats
Celina man faces felony charge
By Tom Stankard
GRAND LAKE - A Celina man was arrested early on Memorial Day after a woman reported that he had threatened to kill them both while boating on Grand Lake.
Andrew M. Ahlers, 40, has been charged with third-degree felony abduction and first-degree misdemeanor aggravated menacing, according to Celina Municipal Court records. Bail has been set at $100,000, subject to 10 percent, according to the Mercer County Sheriff's Office website.
A woman contacted the Celina Police Department at 1:39 a.m. Monday and reported she was on a boat and Ahlers had thrown the keys into the water.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources Officer Christopher King was dispatched. Before he could locate the boat, the woman advised Ahlers had retrieved the keys, according to the court records.
A Celina police officer reportedly located a group of people near West Bank Road who claimed Ahlers had dropped them off. They said Ahlers reportedly had threatened them, and they had attempted to persuade the woman to stay with them, but she insisted upon staying with Ahlers.
The woman reportedly contacted Celina police again at about 2 a.m., stating she needed help and that Ahlers may have had a gun on the boat, according to the records. Records do not indicate if a gun had been found.
King located the boat, pulled alongside and located the female caller, who repeatedly asked him for help, the report stated.
He ordered Ahlers at gunpoint to shut off the boat and show his hands, the records stated.
Celina police later arrived on a boat and assisted King in securing Ahlers, according to the records.
When King arrived back at the West Bank, he attempted to administer field sobriety tests to Ahlers. King reportedly detected two indications of intoxication from the eye test, but Ahlers refused all other tests.
In an interview with ODNR Sgt. Kimberly Sheets, the woman said after Ahlers had dropped off the group of people, he promised to take her to her car at Ohio Marina. Instead, she said Ahlers took the boat near Safety Island, where he reportedly threatened to kill them both.
The caller reportedly had visible facial and shoulder injuries.
Sheets also interviewed members of the group who had been dropped off. They said Ahlers had been driving in a reckless manner, causing them to be injured.
