Wellington police charge Avon man with July 18 felony assault with beer bottle at Fort's Tavern

An Avon man who allegedly hit another man in the head and neck with a glass bottle at a Wellington bar last weekend, cutting him, is facing a felony assault charge. Austin R. Mitchell, 21, of Long Road, was arraigned Monday in Oberlin Municipal Court on a charge of felonious assault, a second-degree felony according to court records. He posted $35,000 bond and was released from the Lorain County Jail the same day, according to court and jail records. A condition of Mitchell's bond is no contact with the alleged victim. The case has been bound over to a Lorain County grand jury for consideration. Messages seeking comment were left for Mitchell's attorney, Kevin Spellacy, on Saturday. The Wellington Police Department announced the arrest in a Facebook post Saturday. It said officers responded to Fort's Old Town Tavern at 122 W. Herrick Ave. just before 11:30 p.m. July 18 for an assault. The alleged victim, whom police did not identify, was found injured outside. He had been hit in the head and neck with a glass bottle, "was then punched multiple times after falling to the ground," and needed nine stitches to close the cuts in his head and neck, Wellington police wrote. Investigators used interviews with witnesses and surveillance footage to identify Mitchell as a suspect, Wellington police said. Mitchell, who according to court and jail records is 6 feet 2 inches tall and 285 pounds, "knowingly struck the victim ... in the head with a glass beer bottle causing serious physical injury to his head, ear and neck," according to a criminal complaint filed by Detective Ben Hogan in Oberlin Municipal Court. "The inuries sustained required medical intervention at the hospital requiring numerous stitches and the broken glass nearly sliced the victims carotid artery," Hogan wrote. Mitchell was called to the Wellington Police Department for an interview on July 19 and arrested, police said. Wellington police "would like to thank the witnesses, business employees, neighboring law enforcement agencies, and community members who assisted with this investigation," the department said in its Facebook post. Mitchell is a redshirt junior defensive tackle on the Ohio University Bobcats football team, according to his profile on the team website. He played high school football for the Avon Eagles.Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com