CINCINNATI — Terry Stiles put up a fight with deputies last week after his arrest in connection with the Big Mac Bridge fire. Hours after his unruly behavior landed him in a restraint chair and a spit mask inside the Hamilton County Jail, fire investigators told a judge that Stiles made it clear: he would never go back to jail. He would rather die.
Stiles is charged with aggravated arson, accused of setting the fire on Nov. 1. He's being detained on a $1 million bond, but the 39-year-old is no stranger to a jail cell.
Immediately following Stiles' arrest, WCPO looked into his criminal record — a lengthy rap sheet that dates back to his juvenile years. His charges include assault, aggravated menacing, theft, trespassing and illegal possession of firearms.
Over the years, Stiles stood in several courtrooms and faced several judges. While he received some convictions, many of his charges were dismissed or grand juries declined to indict him.
Stiles did serve eight years in prison on a 2005 felonious assault conviction. He pleaded guilty to brutally shaking and beating a 5-month-old boy. That boy was Carl Leggett, Jr. — Shannon Jordan Best's first grandson.
"Carl was always smiling. Carl was a happy baby. He did have some tummy problems so we had to put him on a special formula but other than that he was always giggling and laughing. He was smart. He was a little ahead of his months," Best said. "If you were holding him and you were talking to somebody, he'd try and get your attention and holler 'Hey!" and you'd look at him and say, 'Hi!" and he'd giggle — that deep-bellied giggle. And just the sweetest little face and sweetest little voice he was developing."
Best sat down with WCPO on Wednesday to share memories of her grandson. She would never hear Carl utter any other words beyond his baby babble because the trauma inflicted on the infant's brain the night of his assault caused irreparable damage.
Carl developed cerebral palsy and scoliosis and his limbs were unable to grow correctly. He was never able to talk or walk. He eventually lost sight in both of his eyes and he was unable to eat on his own.
"Surgeries, medication constantly. Toward the end of his life, he was getting medication every hour on the hour. I mean I got no sleep. Every hour my alarm was going off on my phone to give him the shot of medicine. Pain medicine, seizure medicine — he was on four different seizure medicines. Four," Best said. "I think at one point 43 syringes a day ... His whole little life was nothing but pain."
Carl's pain ended in 2019. He died at the age of 14 due to complications from his traumatic brain injury. The Hamilton County coroner ruled the boy's death a homicide and three months later, prosecutors charged Stiles with murder.
"Carl, he was just a little light. He was. He was so amazing and this monster took him, for no reason other than him being a monster," Best said.
Best said when Stiles learned of his impending arrest, he attempted to elude officers by hiding in the brush along the Ohio River. Officers had to deploy their tasers to take Stiles into custody.
Before he ran down to the river, Best said Stiles proclaimed a statement nearly identical to what he allegedly said a week ago.
"He said he wasn't going to go back to jail," she said. "He was going to commit suicide by cop."
If convicted, Stiles could have faced 15 years to life in prison, but the case never made it to trial. A judge dismissed the murder charge, citing two Ohio Supreme Court decisions stating under most circumstances prosecutors cannot charge someone with murder in connection with a death after that person has pleaded guilty to a lesser crime in the same offense.
Court documents show Stiles has continued down an alleged path of crime in the five years since. He racked up charges including obstructing official business and illegal possession of a firearm, an OVI and trespassing. Most of the charges were ignored.
Stiles was charged in April with trespassing. That case is pending. A grand jury is scheduled to hear his aggravated arson case on Friday, as well as the cases against the three other suspects charged in connection to the Big Mac Bridge fire.
Best said she believes the fire never would have happened if justice had been served against Stiles five years ago. When his name was back in the limelight, Best felt both a sense of frustration and vindication.
"I thought he never should have seen the light of day again. He shouldn't have. He should be stuck in the room ... Why were you walking our streets? I mean he shouldn't have been. He shouldn't have been. It said it on his death certificate: homicide from injuries in 2005. I mean what more did the state need? He caused a homicide and he got to walk, so that was the biggest slap in the face," Best said. "State of Ohio, I told you so. I told you he was not a good person, that he shouldn't walk the streets and karma. It's costing you $10 million now. It cost us a life."
