Judge lowered bond in throat-slitting incident

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Courtesy Photo Tracey Osborn is seen with her granddaughter Gabrielle Marchuk in this undated photo. Her body was found Monday and police suspect foul play.

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Despite the Stark County State’s Attorney’s Office recommendation to Judge Zane Anderson to set bond at $10,000 after Jamie Osborn allegedly cut Tracey Osborn’s throat, the judge set bond at $1,500, Rhonda Ehlis, assistance Stark County state’s attorney said Tuesday.

A month later 43-year-old Tracey Osborn of Dickinson is dead, foul play is suspected and police are pointing the finger at 41-year-old Jamie Osborn, who was out of jail. He appears to have shot himself to death in Miles City, Mont.

“Our office recommended a $10,000 cash bond based upon the very serious nature of the incident and we felt that he was a very serious risk to the victim and community,” Ehlis said. “We felt that it was appropriate to keep him basically incarcerated.”

Attempts to contact Anderson Tuesday were unsuccessful.

Tracey Osborn’s body was found in her vehicle north of Killdeer Monday morning, police say. Jamie Osborn’s body was found in a wooded area near a gas station in Montana Sunday.

Police will not say how or where Tracey Osborn died.

“We wouldn’t know that until the autopsy came back,” Dickinson Police Department Lt. Rod Banyai said.

However, authorities say an altercation took place between Jamie and Tracey Osborn on Sunday morning and Tracey Osborn was reported missing later that day.

Banyai said he believes the couple had divorced, but remarried.

Jamie Osborn was reportedly arrested July 18 for cutting her throat. He also told Tracey Osborn to “prepare to die,” according to a Stark County criminal complaint.

He was charged with terrorizing and aggravated assault. When asked Tuesday why officials did not charge Jamie Osborn with attempted murder, Tom Henning, Stark County state’s attorney said, “If he would have wanted to go any further, there was nothing preventing him.

“That’s the only reason I charged it the way I charged it,” he said. “I charged him with a Class C felony because the cut in her throat took three or four stitches to close.”

Henning added he did not anticipate the judge would set bond so low.

Jamie Osborn allegedly told authorities that Tracey Osborn cut her own throat, but then confessed to doing it, according to police reports. Tracey Osborn had also allegedly told police Jamie Osborn strangled her during the July 18 attack, reports show.

Melissa Cady-Angerer, 27, has been arrested for allegedly driving Jamie Osborn to Montana on Sunday, police say. The state’s attorney Monday charged her for disobedience of a judicial order because leaving the state violated her probation, according to a Stark County criminal complaint. Police believe she is Jamie Osborn’s cousin.

“More charges are being considered,” Henning said.

Judicial Referee John Grinsteiner reportedly ordered Cady-Angerer’s bond at $50,000 Monday. Henning said Cady-Angerer pleaded guilty to the charges, but was not sentenced.

Tracey Osborn’s family voiced concern at a Monday press conference about what would happen if Cady-Angerer made bond. George Green, Tracey Osborn’s father said there were conditions put on Jamie Osborn’s bond which failed to protect Tracey. The family wonders what will protect them.

“Unfortunately, the bond release is a piece of paper and those conditions are pieces of paper and we know that paper don’t stop people,” Wallace said.

As of Tuesday evening Cady-Angerer was held at the Southwest Multi County Correction Center in Dickinson.

Banyai would not comment on whether she was aware of the circumstances surrounding the ride she gave Jamie Osborn.

Police are not ruling out the possibility of other arrests, Banyai said.

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