Search warrant: Lorain man ambushed shooting victim

ELYRIA —A Lorain woman was investigating a noise in her garage earlier this month when she was shot by a man she had once been in a relationship with, according to court documents filed this week. The Lorain man allegedly ambushed, shot and wounded the woman Dec. 15 in her garage — she received a protection order against him — according to court documents filed this week. Curtis Haller, 51, is accused of ambushing the victim in the loft portion of her garage Dec. 15. She was shot and wounded. He remains in the Lorain County Jail on $260,000 bond, charged with felonious assault, aggravated burglary, having weapons under disability, carrying a concealed weapon, breaking and entering, violating a protection order, obstruction and having weapons while intoxicated, according to the Lorain County Sheriff's Office. Haller had a 20-year relationship with the victim in the case and they had been separated by court order for almost five months prior to the shooting. A search warrant filed in Lorain County Common Pleas Court shed more light on the circumstances of the alleged ambush. &emsp;&emsp;Lorain police Detective Christopher Colon wrote in an affidavit that he was seeking to examine data on an LG cellphone found in the backyard of a residence in the 3900 block of Broadway on Dec. 16. His request was approved by Judge Chris Cook on Dec. 18. The affidavit states that on Dec. 15, Colon was called to a house in the 100 block of West 39th Street in Lorain for a report of a woman who had been shot in the face, hand and left shoulder. The victim, 55-year-old Margaret Nichols, was taken to Mercy Hospital with non life-threatening injuries. While being treated, she told officers she arrived home at 5:20 p.m. Dec. 15 and parked in her detached garage. As she did, Nichols heard a noise in the upstairs loft and went to investigate, according to the affidavit. Nichols was on the phone with her son as she investigated, and when she reached the top of the loft stairs, found Haller sitting on a couch pointing a gun at her. Nichols raised her hands to cover her face when she heard a gunshot and "immediately realized she had been shot," according to the affidavit. She ran down the stairs and to a neighbor's house "while screaming for someone to call 911," according to the affidavit. Believing Haller was still in the loft, the Lorain Police SWAT Team arrived at the scene but discovered he had left. Haller was found six hours later during a traffic stop and arrested. The following day, Colon learned Haller's phone had been found behind a house on Broadway, according to his affidavit. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com. Follow him at @daveobrienCT on Twitter.