Four people have been indicted after what was described as a “riot” at a Deerfield Township wine bar.
A Tuscarawas County man and three Stark County residents face felony charges in an incident in which the co-owner of Cove W Winery was seriously injured.
Eric W. Blose, 48, of Sandyville was indicted on two counts of second-degree felony assault and single counts of fourth-degree felony aggravated riot and first-degree misdemeanor assault.
Gaven Wyatt Blose, 20, and Jessica L. Shupe, 49, both of Louisville, and Devin L. Knepp, 21, of Canton, face charges of aggravated riot and misdemeanor assault. Gaven Blose is identified in court records as Shupe’s son.
The indictments were filed June 25 in Portage County Common Pleas Court.
According to court records and a Portage County Sheriff’s Office incident report, deputies responded to the report of a fight involving at least 10 people about 9 p.m. June 12 at the wine bar, 820 State Route 14.
One person, a 61-year-old Canton man, was reported to have been seriously injured and unconscious but breathing after Eric Blose allegedly hit him in the face. Reports say the victim hit his head on a trailer, then fell to the ground, where he struck his head on a concrete walkway.
According to the winery’s website and Facebook page, the victim is Dave Wilson, a co-owner of the winery. A June 26 attempt to call Cove W Winery was unsuccessful.
A June 16 post on the winery’s Facebook page addressed the situation. “Dave is improving but having issues with cognition and speech,” the post said. “The doctors tell us that the brain swelling will take time to heal, and he’ll need rehab.”
On June 18, a post from co-owner Cary Wecht was shared on the Facebook page.
“So many people have asked what they can do to help. Dave and I truly don’t need anything, although your good wishes have boosted our spirits!” Wecht posted. “The best thing anyone can do right now to help us is to support Cove W Winery and keep the business going while we concentrate on getting Dave Wilson better.”
According to court documents, Eric W. Blose is alleged to have used a bar stool in his alleged assault of Wilson.
The indictments do not provide any information about who was allegedly assaulted in connection with the misdemeanor charges against the four defendants. However, a complaint the sheriff’s office previously filed against Shupe in Portage County Municipal Court in Ravenna alleges she punched another female “repeatedly” in the face. Besides Wilson, the only other individual identified in the sheriff’s report as a “victim” is a 63-year-old Columbiana man.
A search of court records did not turn up any charges against any other individuals listed in the sheriff’s report.
Eric Blose, Shupe and Knepp are scheduled to be arraigned June 29 in Portage County Common Pleas Judge Laurie J. Pittman. An arrest warrant was issued for Gaven Blose on June 25, according to court records.
In the meantime, Eric Blose is being held in Portage County Jail on a $25,000 bond set in the municipal Court. Shupe was released on a 10% of $5,000 bond set in municipal court. Court records do not show a bond for Knepp, and it does not show he has been taken into custody.
Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: 4 indicted in ‘riot’ at Portage County winery
Reporting by Jeff Saunders, Ravenna Record-Courier / Record-Courier
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jeff Saunders, Ravenna Record-Courier | USA TODAY Network
