Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
A Canton couple told police they awakened to being pistol-whipped and then the homeowner grabbed his own gun and killed one of the would-be burglar.
CANTON An early-morning home invasion left one of the suspected burglars dead and an accomplice facing murder and other charges.
The victims, a northwest Canton couple, awoke about 2 a.m. Monday to two masked men pistol-whipping them during a robbery attempt, according to investigators.
They say the resident fatally shot one of the intruders while a second as-yet-unidentified burglar ran from the home in the 2600 block of Second Street NW.
Police later in the day charged the suspected driver, Joi T. Griffith.
The 28-year-old was booked into the Stark County Jail Monday afternoon on charges of murder, complicity to aggravated burglary and obstructing justice. Police say she was living in Canton, but Stark County court records show she has a Wooster address.
She is accused of driving Nicholas A. Hug, 24, of 1815 Trinity Place NW, and another unidentified man to the home, where the men forced their way inside.
Police Capt. Dave Davis the homeowners were awakened by two men hitting them with guns, one weapon being a rifle Hug was using. Davis said the victims did not know the men.
At some point during the attack, the robbers left the bedroom and went downstairs in search of money, detectives believe. But by the time they headed back up the stairway, the homeowner had retrieved his own pistol.
He opened fire on them, shooting Hug several times, Davis said.
“One of the individuals, Nicholas Hug, did discharge three rounds from his rifle before being shot and killed by the homeowner,” according to court records filed in the case by police.
The homeowner told the officers someone broke into his house a week before. Details of that incident were not available.
Davis said detectives did not yet know whether the two incidents are related.
No one else has been charged.
“We are still investigating at this point,” Davis said, adding police are reviewing private surveillance video from homes in the area.
Court records allege Griffith returned to the area, picked up the injured Hug and drove him to Aultman Hospital.
Davis said officers nabbed her at the hospital and took her back to police headquarters for questioning as other officers continued searching for the other robber.
Hug was pronounced dead at 2:10 a.m. Monday at Aultman, police said.
Police say Griffith repeatedly lied about her involvement as the driver, so she was charged with obstructing justice and complicity to aggravated burglary.
Canton City Prosecutor Jason Reese said even though Griffith didn’t pull the trigger, Ohio law allows her to be charged with murder because someone died during the commission of another felony crime, in this case the burglary.
Stark County court records show Hug went to prison last year for improperly handling weapons in a motor vehicle, having weapons under disability and obstructing official business. The court records also show he went to prison in 2015 for carrying a concealed weapon, driving under suspension, failure to comply with police, two counts of felony obstructing official business and three counts of receiving stolen property.
Davis asked anyone with information as to the robber’s whereabouts call detectives at 330-489-3144 or leave a tip on the city’s Tip411 line by texting the word “canton” and the tip to 847411. The tipline can also be found online at www.cantonohio.gov/police.
Reach Lori at 330-580-8309 or lori.steineck@cantonrep.com.