Michael W. Hartzell, 34, is currently in custody at the Ross County Jail on a parole holder for a parole violation, according to Ross County Sheriff’s Office records. He was booked on August 13, 2026, under booking number IN202601680 following an arrest that day at approximately 1:00 p.m. Jail records list the charge as a parole holder (PV).
Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction records show Hartzell’s prison term stemmed from Pickaway County convictions. Effective sentence date was May 13, 2024, with 188 days of jail time credit applied. The offenses included:
• One count of intimidation, a third-degree felony under Ohio Revised Code 2921.03, carrying a 3.00-year definite term (Pickaway County docket 2022CR056, Judge Randall Knece).
• One count of violation of a protection order, a third-degree felony under Ohio Revised Code 2919.27, also a 3.00-year definite term concurrent with the first count (same docket and judge).
• One count of menacing by stalking, a fourth-degree felony under Ohio Revised Code 2903.211, carrying a 1.33-year definite term (Pickaway County docket 2022CR79, same judge).
The aggregate sentence was 3.00 years under House Bill 86. The expected release date or parole eligibility date was listed as April 10, 2026. Court records from the related Pickaway County Common Pleas cases confirm the underlying convictions on the intimidation and protection order charges occurred on July 15, 2022, after a guilty plea, with an initial sentence of concurrent three-year terms of community control. Companion case notations referenced 2022-CR-79. Community control violation proceedings in 2024 led to the imposition of the prison terms.
An ODRC release of inmate information was filed in the court docket on May 22, 2026. The current Ross County booking lists no additional new criminal charges beyond the parole holder. Public records do not detail the specific alleged violation of post-release supervision conditions. Hartzell remains in custody pending further proceedings related to the hold.
All information is drawn from publicly available ODRC offender records, court dockets, financial summaries, and Ross County Sheriff’s Office custody records. Ohio law treats community control as supervised release following conviction, with violations subject to imposition of a prison term. Post-release control conditions typically apply after release from a prison sentence.
