ESCANABA -- A 17-year-old Gladstone man accused of threatening residents with a knife last Saturday night had a preliminary hearing in Delta County Circuit Court on Thursday.
Jacob Anthony Wydra is facing a charge of felonious assault with a knife. If convicted, he could face four years in prison. The first witness on the stand was Toby Lair, the Gladstone resident who was threatened by Wydra around 11:30 p.m. in the 1100 block of Delta Avenue alley.
"And I saw his hands moving down low, and I saw something orange, and my buddy was next to me," said Lair. "I took my phone out and raised it up in the air and I could see he had a knife. I saw the orange handle of the knife down there."
Officer Todd Crow took the stand after Lair. He said Wydra hesitated when officers ordered him to put the folding knife down.
Wydra has been bound over to circuit court, but the date has yet to be scheduled.
"Serious substance abuse issues are at play here," said prosecutor Steve Parks. "Mr. Wydra is spinning out of control very quickly."
Wydra's attorney requested a bond modification, but the judge denied.
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