ALLIANCE
Police chief returns to duty
ALLIANCE: The city has reinstated its police chief, Scott Griffith, who was placed on administrative leave last month as part of an ongoing investigation, the Canton Repository reported.
“There is an outside, independent investigation being conducted into two serious allegations registered against the Alliance Police Department,” Mayor Alan Andreani said in a news release. “Neither of the allegations was made against Chief Griffith.”
The city has not released any details about the allegations.
STARK COUNTY
Boy detained following scare
CANTON: A Stark County middle-schooler was detained on juvenile charges alleging he started a social media post claiming a student was going to bring a gun to school.
The 12-year-old boy, whose identity has not been revealed by the Stark County Sheriff’s Office, was charged with delinquency by inducing panic. The boy was booked into the Multi-County Juvenile Attention Center in Canton.
Sheriff’s deputies reported to Lake Local Schools at 7:40 a.m. to investigate. The middle school and high school were placed into lockdown from then until 7:51 a.m.
No weapons were located, and there was no real indication that students or staff were in danger.
The sheriff’s office declined to say which social media site or app was used to spread the rumor.
The schools returned to normal operations and dismissed students at the normal time.
Bullet grazes Brewster man
BREWSTER: A Brewster man was grazed by a bullet this week while mowing his lawn and police aren’t sure whether he was targeted or if it was a random shooting.
Police Chief Keith Creter is asking for help from the public in identifying the shooter and urging people in the Stark County community to remain vigilant while the investigation continues.
“Be aware of your surroundings,” he said Thursday.
The man reported Monday that a white Jeep Cherokee was driving around slowly in the area of Tuscarawas Avenue and Glick Street Northwest and then stopped at the Brewster Car Wash just before the shooting occurred.
The bullet, possibly from a .22-caliber rifle, grazed the man’s left side and left a mark but he didn’t require any medical attention, the chief said.
The vehicle took off at a high rate of speed after the shooting.
The driver was described as a white man with a beard and longer blond hair who was wearing a hat.
SUMMIT COUNTY
Petition signed by 100,000
AKRON: More than 100,000 people have signed an online petition to urge the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office to bar an Akron couple accused of starving four dogs from ever having pets again.
The Change.org petition’s organizers hope to gather 150,000 signatures. People from across the world have signed so far.
According to police, Richard and Angel Facemire starved their pets and kept them locked in cages for extended lengths of time.
One of the dogs, whose picture evoked outrage and disgust on social media, was emaciated to the point that its ribs were visible under its skin and patches of fur were missing.
The married couple was charged with felony animal cruelty.
The cruelty charges weren’t always felonies. Goddard’s Law, named for famed Cleveland meteorologist and animal activist Dick Goddard, made it a felony in some cases.
The couple has been indicted on their charges. Their cases await hearings in Summit County Common Pleas Court.