STEUBENVILLE — A Jefferson County grand jury returned 12 indictments Wednesday, including one against a Brilliant couple who allegedly got high and went to bed while their 2-month-old baby was dying in his bouncy swing, a man who allegedly threatened to kill his court-appointed attorney and another who allegedly vandalized two nutcrackers because he was “upset about the holiday.”

Joseph Michael Reese, 27, and his wife, Star Mikeal Reese, 26, both of 108 Strowbridge St., Brilliant, were indicted separately on two felony counts of endangering children. Authorities allege the couple left the child in his bouncy seat for more than12 hours while they used narcotics on Sept. 28, then went upstairs to bed along with their other two children. The following day, authorities maintain, the couple was awake for 45 minutes before they discovered the child had died. Methamphetamine and cocaine was found in the baby’s system, authorities said.

The autopsy report listed the baby’s cause of death as “sudden unexplained infant death in the settling of unsafe sleep environment and illicit drug exposure.”

Meanwhile, ordered to stand trial on charges of intimidating an attorney, victim or witness, a felony, and misdemeanor aggravated menacing was Allen Michael Brodess, 1870 state Route 151, Mingo Junction.The indictment alleges Brodess, 36, in January threatened serious physical harm to the attorney appointed to represent him. Authorities suggest Brodess turned his anger against an agency against his attorney, reeling off dozens of texts and threats to kill him.

Grand jurors also returned a felony vandalism indictment against Malone Nashon Lynn, 35, 142 N. Sixth St., Steubenville. Lynn allegedly caused thousands of dollars in damage to Steubenville Nutcracker Village’s Nutcracker Prince and Moses Fleetwood Walker displays during Christmas week.

Others indicted:

∫ Todd D. Williams, 35, of Bedford and Byron Terrell Carner, 34, Cleveland, two felony counts each of grand theft, while Sean J. McCarthy, 28, 1010 Commerce St., Wellsville was named in one count of felony grand theft. Authorities allege the three men were part of a ring of thieves targeting Rural King stores. From June 3 through Aug. 25, they allege the trio stole Milwaukee and DeWalt power tools valued at more than $10,000 from Rural King’s Steubenville store.

∫ Scott Allen Gilmore, 731 Oxford Blvd., Steubenville, possession of cocaine and failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer, both felonies, on Dec. 19. The indictment alleges Gilmore, 52, willfully ignored efforts by police to pull him over Dec. 19 in Steubenville, then tried to jettison cocaine.

Police had reported they attempted a traffic stop on Sunset Boulevard at Brady Circle but Gilmore continued driving, ending up at his home, where they said he failed to follow instructions and was “digging in his front pocket/waistband area” before two “unknown items” landed on the ground beside him. They said they found a hypodermic and a piece of paper containing a crystal-like substance on the ground next to the driver’s door of his car, as well as a small bag in his pocket “tied at one end” containing a substance believed to be cocaine.

∫ Sherman D. “Darrin” Bell, 58, 1014 county Road 23, Bloomingdale, grand theft and two counts of breaking and entering, all felonies, along with misdemeanor criminal endangering. Authorities allege Bell cut the fence to break into Jefferson Landmark and removed snowblowers and battery packs, then sold them to an individual who listed them for sale on Facebook Marketplace. The owner of the items spotted the listing and notified the individual who listed them that the merchandise he was selling had been stolen, they said.

∫ Bruce Swank, 46, of 49 Findley St., Dillonvale, a felony charge of aggravated possession of drugs. Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers allegedly found methamphetamine in Swank’s possession May 3.

∫ Kara Clark, 34, 802 4th St., Brilliant, aggravated possession of drugs, a felony. Clark allegedly had methamphetamine in her possession when OSHP took her into custody Nov. 27.

∫ Melvin Lynn Smith, 47, Akron, operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, drugs or both, Dec. 20. Smith has prior OVI convictions in Portage County Common Pleas Court (2024) and Barberton Municipal Court, Summit County (2022) and Wintersville County Court (2022.)