Judge recuses himself in Norwalk kidnapping case

NORWALK — The judge in the case of a Norwalk man charged with allegedly perpetrating a violent attack last fall has recused himself. Huron County Common Pleas Court Judge James Conway filed an affidavit of recusal on May 19 in the case of Eric L. Carroll, which stems from the alleged assault in October and Carroll's subsequent indictment in December. In his recusal filing, Conway acknowledged that one of the alleged victims in the case is a personal friend of his. It is unclear why Conway has only now decided to recuse himself from the case. Carroll, 33, faces these charges: • Two counts of first-degree felony kidnapping • Two counts of third-degree felony abduction • Aggravated burglary, a first-degree felony • Burglary, a second-degree felony • Three counts of felony strangulation • Grand theft of a motor vehicle, a fourth-degree felony • Gross sexual imposition, a fourth-degree felony Additionally, the Huron County Public Defender filed a motion to withdraw as Carroll's counsel due to him "submitting multiple writings to the court, demanding new counsel be appointed," according to court records. Director of that office, David Longo, stated that he has done everything requested of him by Carroll to investigate the case and has diligently prepared the matter for trial. Considering the extreme severity of the charges in the case, Longo said he had no choice but to make the motion. Attorney Patrick Farrell was appointed to represent Carroll. On Thursday, retired Cuyahoga County judge John Sutula was appointed to preside as a visiting judge. Background Just before 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 18, a 911 call was received from the manager of a hotel in the 300 block of Milan Ave. (U.S. 250) reporting that a female employee had run into the office saying, "there was violence" before fleeing in distress, according to a statement from Norwalk police. Other guests at the hotel reported seeing a man running from the same room the employee had just left. The employee was later located by police and provided a statement describing the incident. Surveillance footage from the hotel corroborated her account, showing a man entering the room, followed by screams, according to the statement. Moments later, the woman was seen escaping in one direction while the man fled in another. A search warrant was executed at the hotel, where police identified the suspect as Carroll. Investigators said Carroll had recently been released from prison after serving 10 years for involuntary manslaughter stemming from a fatal stabbing that occurred more than a decade ago in Norwalk. Later that evening, around 8:58 p.m., the Huron County Sheriff's Office and Ohio State Highway Patrol responded to a rollover crash near 1980 U.S. 250. The driver fled on foot but was later found hiding in a barn nearby. Authorities confirmed the suspect was Carroll, wearing the same clothes seen in the hotel surveillance video. Carroll was taken into custody and booked into the Huron County Jail, where he is being held without bond as of late Monday. Police said the case remains under active investigation, and additional charges may be forthcoming. Tuesday was scheduled to be Carroll's final pre-trial hearing. No additional hearing dates are posted on the court's website.