An Ohio resident found himself at the center of a courtroom drama this week, turning what was expected to be a mundane session into a chaotic spectacle with his bold and fiery statements.

Zachary Heckathorn, 33, faces charges of assault, criminal trespass, and aggravated menacing, as detailed by the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office and the Martins Ferry Police Department.

The accusations originate from an event on November 14, when Heckathorn allegedly disrupted Rethreads, a charitable store operated by Grace Presbyterian Church on Hanover Street in Martins Ferry. This small town lies near the West Virginia border, approximately 60 miles southwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Police Chief Vince West, in a report by Wheeling-based CBS, MyNetworkTV, and ABC affiliate WTRF, stated that Heckathorn was initially asked to leave the store due to causing a commotion and was eventually escorted out by a volunteer.

Authorities allege that Heckathorn returned shortly after 10 a.m. the same day and assaulted the volunteer, hitting him in the face and body between 10 to 15 times before escaping down a nearby alley.

Heckathorn was quickly arrested on the strength of witness descriptions, police said, roughly two blocks away from the store.

The defendant has been in the Belmont County Jail since his arrest. During his hearing this week, he appeared by way of a video feed from jail wearing an orange inmate’s uniform.

As the hearing began, attorneys for both sides requested a continuance, according to a courtroom report by WTRF.

This request apparently did not sit well with Heckathorn – who launched into a bid for an immediate trial and self-representation.

“I believe my lawyer, my so-called lawyer, is incompetent,” he said. “I do not wish to have a lawyer to represent me. I can represent myself. I do not want a continuance. I’ve already had a pretrial. A pretrial is still trial. I am being denied my right to a fair and speedy trial.”

After a brief pause, the defendant went on.

“That is also the obstruction of justice,” Heckathorn continued. “There is no evidence against me. A statement that somebody’s saying something is not evidence, it’s hearsay. I am going to be declared innocent because I am innocent.”

As the hearing went on, the outbursts reportedly continued — despite the defendant being warned not to speak out of turn.

Over time, the contretemps grew increasingly chaotic, WTRF reported.

Heckathorn is due back in court for trial on Dec. 12.