New developments this evening on the story that SCDN broke over the weekend. Aaron Armstrong, the 30-year-old man PPD arrested after a three-hour Dorman Drive standoff with Portsmouth SWAT on Saturday, has a long history of arrests, including two this year.
Police had to drag the repeat offender, who has more than 20 arrests, to his name out from under the porch of a Grandview Avenue home after he ran from them last spring. Just a few months later, they arrested him after witnesses spotted him going into an abandoned house at Robinson and Summit with a cutting instrument.
Despite a record of crimes including obstructing official business, multiple counts of probation violation, violating a protection order, aggravated menacing, drug paraphernalia, falsification, multiple counts of domestic violence, criminal trespass, carrying a concealed weapon, vandalism, and contributing to the delinquency of a child, the court released the homeless man back onto the streets.
In addition to this most recent case, Armstrong has two open burglary cases in Scioto County Common Pleas Court, as well as cases for breaking and entering and obstructing official business. He’s failed to appear for multiple hearings but keeps getting released on bonds.
When we spoke with local judges, they told us they simply aren’t allowed to keep offenders like Armstrong in jail.
Armstrong is currently in the Scioto County Jail facing 17 charges, including multiple counts of receiving stolen property, tampering with evidence, having weapons under a disability, disrupting public service, retaliation, resisting arrest, obstructing official business, breaking and entering, drug possession, trafficking in drugs, failure to appear, and burglary.