Naked ‘Jesus’ pleads in incident

Leavittsburg man faces up to year in prison after resisting arrest in April 2020

WARREN -- A Leavittsburg man faces up to a year in prison after pleading guilty to resisting Warren Township police April 29, 2020, as they were trying to put him in a cruiser after he was found naked at Eagle Creek and Templeton roads -- telling people he was Jesus Christ.

Nathan Ackerman, 41, of Florine Avenue, pleaded guilty Thursday to a bill of information charging him with obstruction of official business. A bill of information is a criminal charge that bypasses the grand jury process.

Ackerman had been indicted by a grand jury on a charge of assault of a police officer, but during plea bargain negotiations, prosecutors agreed to a lesser charge. The assault of a police officer charge carried a maximum 18-month prison term, while the obstruction charge carried a maximum 12-month term.

During his arrest in April, Ackerman was resisting officers and sheriff's deputies and kicked a Warren Township police officer in the leg. Ackerman finally was restrained to be taken to a hospital for observation. The officer, Dan Barb, also was taken to Trumbull Regional Medical Center to look at his leg.

Trumbull County Common Pleas Judge Ronald J. Rice was reluctant to accept Ackerman's bill of information plea, saying he likes to see cases go through the grand jury.

Assistant Prosecutor Michael Burnett told the judge drug tests showed that Ackerman was not influenced by drugs or alcohol during the incident but may have been exposed to carbon monoxide.

Rice told defense attorney Daniel G. Keating he may want his client to see a psychiatrist to see what the problem was. The judge, however, told Keating the court will not be paying for legal experts, and he is inclined to give a stiff sentence.

"This court takes seriously any assault of a police officer," Rice said.

Meanwhile, Ackerman was ordered to go to the adult probation department so he can undergo a background check, which the judge considers during sentencing. He remains free after posting an $8,000 bond.