CANTON, Ohio — The Stark County Sheriff’s Office has now arrested all four suspects allegedly connected to a recent homicide and the kidnapping of another man.
Back on May 10, sheriff's deputies say they responded to a call about a dead body located along the side of the road at Hardington Avenue NE near 12th Street NE in Canton Township.
The cause of death was ruled a homicide and the victim was later identified as 32-year-old Joseph Aaron Pomeroy of Plain Township.
On May 13, the sheriff's office worked jointly with the Canton Police Department to execute a search warrant at a home in the 600 block of Correll Avenue NE in Canton. While investigators executed the search warrant, they discovered a victim being held against his will in the basement of the residence. He was transported to an area hospital with life threatening injuries.
The Stark County Sheriff’s Office arrested and charged three people in connection with the death of Joseph Aaron Pomeroy:
- 43-year-old Jeremy Morlock was charged with one count of aggravated murder
- 24-year-old Clayton Smart was charged with one count of complicity to commit aggravated murder
- 34-year-old Mary Ann Soliday was charged with one count of complicity to commit aggravated murder.
The suspects were arrested without incident and booked into the Stark County Jail, but a fourth alleged accomplice remained at-large: 28-year-old Andrew Williams. Early Tuesday evening, members of the U.S. Marshals Service located Williams inside a home on the 2000 block of Silent Court Northwest, and according to officials the Canton SWAT team had to be called in when Williams barricaded himself inside. Eventually, he surrendered to officers and was taken into custody.
Like Smart and Soliday, Williams faces a charge of complicity to commit aggravated murder. The Canton Police Department also charged all four with one count each of rape, kidnapping, and felonious assault in connection with the freed hostage found inside the Correll Avenue Northeast home.
"The outcome of this investigation exemplifies the importance of collaboration among local law enforcement agencies," Sheriff George T. Maier said in a statement. "My office, the Canton Police Department, and the Adult Parole Authority worked seamlessly together leading to quick arrests and the removal of several dangerous individuals from Stark County communities."
"The city of Canton is safer now that all four of these suspects are locked away from the community," U.S. Marshal Pete Elliot added. "The crimes they are alleged to commit are heinous and required swift law enforcement action."
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