Displaying items by tag: Police

There are steps being taken to address some of the community concerns surrounding the heroin epidemic in Akron. The Akron Police Department has started training officers on using Narcan to help save the lives of those who may have overdosed.

"We want to do everything we can to save lives," said Akron Police Chief James Nice. "So the next step is to put in into the police cruisers. In case the cruiser does get there before EMS, we're given every opportunity to save a life."

Nice said it's not often that police officers arrive on scene of an overdose before EMS, but he still believes it's important to have officers equipped with the drug to offer help.

At this point, Nice said carrying Narcan does not come with a cost for the department. The first shipment of the supply will come from the hospitals and the Summit County Health Department. Nice said grants are expected to help pay for additional supplies when needed.

Nice expects Narcan to be in every police cruiser beginning this Friday.

A 21-year-old Tallmadge man has been arrested on two counts of attempted murder after police say he was involved in a shooting outside his apartment.

According to police, there was an ongoing dispute with a group of people outside of Saxon Village Apartments where Quashane Varner Jr., allegedly opened fire and shot two people before fleeing in a vehicle.

The incident happened on May 22 and left two people injured. One person was shot in the lower back and another in the leg. Both have since recovered from their injuries.

On Monday night, Akron police caught up to Varner who was allegedly found in a stolen vehicle.
He was booked into the Summit County Jail.

The Cleveland Police Department has released an official "Thank You" video following the Republican National Convention last week: 

A local police officer's video reaction to the recent police shooting in Louisiana is going viral.

Warrensville Heights police officer Nakia Jones expressed her outrage and frustration in a 7-minute video, calling on officers with racist views -- who took an oath to serve and protect -- to take off their uniforms.

In the video, Jones also pleads for the youth to put the guns down and stop the deadly violence hitting local communities.

The video has received more than 3 million views.

More than a dozen police officers and their K-9 partners fought the rain and competed at Lock 3 on Saturday to determine top dog.

The teams competed in three events; agility, obedience and apprehensions.

Canton Police Officer David Samuels and his K-9 Bas won the speed challenge during the apprehension drill. The two have been partners for the last year and a half and Samuels says it is important to have a strong bond between the handler and the dog. 

"He's more like my son but my best friend as well," Samuels told WAKR. "He knows that when I ask him to do something I am not going to ask him to do something that will hurt him so that trust is there. I also have to have the trust in him that he will keep me safe."

The rain dampened the crowd for this year's competition, but it didn't stop Donna Laskey from coming out to watch.

"I don't want to miss it! We got our umbrellas and are going home to hot soup so we will be fine."

Officer Nate Ickes with the Tallmadge Police Department along with his dog Axel came out as the "Top Dog" in today's competition. Ickes says it all comes down to obedience.

"If you can get your dog to listen to you, you can get him to do anything."

An argument between an Akron couple turned deadly early Sunday morning.

Akron police found an unconscious woman lying in the street after an apparent hit and run.

Police later determined her boyfriend, 41-year-old Jeffery White hit the victim with his car after an argument and drove away.

The 43-year-old victim later died from her injuries in the hospital. Authorities are withholding her name until the family is notified.

Police arrested White and he is charged with hit-skip, and is in Summit County Jail waiting arraignment. 

Tallmadge Police arrested four people - including two juveniles - in connection to armed robberies and drive-bys.

Police first responded to an armed robbery call when a taxi driver was held as knife-point while pumping gas.

The driver doused the robber in gas as the suspect fled into a getaway car and was able to get the car's license plate.

Police arrested 19-year-old Abdual-Fattah Sallora and a 17-year-old at a home on Norton Drive and another 16-year-old juvenile at the address the license plates were registered.

Cell phone video evidence recovered in the arrests linked 18-year-old Adam Zesiger to three unsolved drive-bys.

He's charged with three counts of Complicity in the shootings

Here's the press release provided by the Tallmadge Police Department.

On Saturday morning at 5:30 Tallmadge Police responded to an Armed Robbery of a taxi driver on Tallmadge Circle. A 41 year old Akron resident reported that he was pumping gas when approached by a masked person brandishing a knife and demanding his money. The victim responded by dousing the suspect with gasoline. The suspect and two others fled in a tan Honda. The victim was also able to provide responding officers with the license plate on the car.

A seventeen year old Tallmadge juvenile and Abdul-Fattah Sallora, 19 of Tallmadge, were arrested at a residence in the 900 block of Norton Drive. A second juvenile was located in the 400 block of Helena Drive in Tallmadge where the license plate returned. During the arrests, evidence was found linking the 17 year old and an adult male to three unsolved drive-by shootings in Tallmadge. One April 12 at 10pm, several shots were fired into a residence in the 100 block of Antone Drive. Sometime Thursday night homes in the 700 block of Treat Blvd. and the 600 block of Newton Street were struck by gunfire from a moving vehicle. All three homes were occupied and no one was injured. Witnesses reported seeing a silver Jeep and hearing “firecracker” like sounds.

The seventeen year old robbery suspect is also alleged to have shot at all three houses. There is cell phone video linking the youth to the shootings. He is incarcerated at the Summit County Juvenile Detention facility along with the 16 year old who was present during the robbery. Adam J. Zesiger 18 of Tallmadge is charged with three counts of Complicity in the shootings. He was allegedly the driver and has been incarcerated in the Summit County Jail. Sallora is in the Summit County Jail charged with Complicity and Conspiracy in the robbery case. He and Zesiger will have initial appearances in Stow Municipal Court on Monday.

*No video or photos are available in either case until Monday

A Tallmadge man is facing charges in a car crash that killed a 17-year-old Akron girl on Easter morning.

Police believe 63-year-old Charles Queer Jr. was driving drunk when he rear-ended Patricia Powell's car that was stopped on the shoulder at I-76 near the South Arlington Street exit in Akron.

Police said Powell was having car troubles and pulled over to the side of the road with her emergency flashers on. 

Authorities said Queer was intoxicated at the time of the crash, over two times the legal limit.

Queer has been charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, failure to control, OVI and OVI-BAC.

Previous Coverage:

Teen Girl Dies in Easter Morning Car Accident

Confrontations between police and citizens have gained a lot of attention across the country -- including right here in Akron. That's why the city's peacemakers and police department are working to educate people on their rights and the law.

APD officer Lauri Natko is one of the instructors of the "You and the Law" program that educates citizens on their rights when stopped by police, but also focuses on the importance of open communication and respect.

She opened the workshop with a question to some of the young people in the audience -- asking them how police officers make them feel. One teen said he feels like there's a target on his back. 

"We find that when we do inform them of that information, they're better citizens," said Natko. "They're better equipped to deal with that law enforcement officer."

Natko said educating residents on their rights can help both parties involved in a confrontation. It can start with simply asking the officer why he or she has stopped you.

"Citizens have those types of rights and most of them don't know that you can do that. But if you present it to us in a respectful way, you're going to get a respectful answer."

Natko goes on to explain that challenging an officer in a respectful and professional manner can help break down some of the barriers between a police officer and citizen.

"It makes me a better officer because now I have to articulate to them what my reason was for the stop. It creates a legitimacy to it."

The next workshop is this Thursday at Valley View Apartments on Springdale Street at 1:30 p.m.

Here are the upcoming workshops available:

March 31, 1:30 p.m. Valley View Apartments, 943 Springdale Street, Akron 44310

April 5, 1:30 p.m. Van Buren Apartments, 410 Pasadena Place, Barberton

April 9, Noon Kenmore Branch Library, 969 Kenmore Boulevard, Akron 44314

May 19, 5:30 p.m. Edgewood Village, 491 Vernon Odom Boulevard, Akron 44307

June 14, 1:30 p.m. Honey Locust Gardens, 3299 Prange Drive, Cuyahoga Falls

The man who's accused of killing Canton police K9 officer Jethro appeared in Canton Municipal Court this morning for his arraignment.

A preliminary hearing for Kelontre Barefield has been scheduled for January 22nd at 1:30 p.m. and his bond remains at $5 million.

Barefield is accused of shooting K9 Jethro three times during a burglary at Fisher Foods in Canton last weekend.

Hundreds attended Jethro's funeral service Thursday afternoon.

Previous Coverage: 

VIDEO End Of Watch: Canton Police K9 Jethro

Bond Set at $5 Million For Alleged K9 Killer

AUDIO: Jethro Donations Pour In

UPDATE Canton Police K-9 Jethro Passes Away

Police K-9, Suspect Shot in Canton Burglary

Jethro was more than just a Canton police K9 officer. He was a man's best friend.

His job was to protect his partner, officer Ryan Davis, and that's exactly what he did. 

Hundreds of police officers, family and friends gathered together at the Canton Civic Center to honor Jethro, who was shot and killed during a burglary last weekend. 

"That's his best friend," said retired Canton police officer Bill Workman. "That's the best partner you'll ever have because he will put his life on the line, just like he did."

"Jethro's legacy is to remind us that bravery and devotion can travel on four legs," said Canton Mayor Thomas Bernabei.

Home videos and photos were shared during the funeral service -- featuring Jethro as an officer and friend to many. A short video (below) showed Jethro and two children enjoying a day out, jumping off a platform and into a lake.

The funeral service for Canton police K9 Jethro included video and photos -- as an officer and a best friend. pic.twitter.com/ksJc1TuRF9

— Amani Abraham (@AmaniAbraham) January 14, 2016 

Law enforcement from all over the area, including New York police officers and fellow K9 officers, were among hundreds who filled the Canton Civic Center Thursday afternoon. In his final police car ride, dozens of police officers and K9s followed Jethro to honor his service and the legacy he left behind. 

Previous Coverage: 

Bond Set at $5 Million For Alleged K9 Killer

AUDIO: Jethro Donations Pour In

UPDATE Canton Police K-9 Jethro Passes Away

Police K-9, Suspect Shot in Canton Burglary

An investigation is underway in a fatal officer-involved shooting in Kent early Thursday morning. Kent police say officers responded to a disturbance call shortly before 4 a.m. at a Virginia Avenue home.

NewsChannel 5 reports the cousin of 25-year-old Douglas Yon told police dispatchers that Yon refused to leave the house and was armed with a machete. She also reported that Yon was going to run toward officers and "make them shoot."

Kent police say four officers responded on scene. Police say Yon "engaged officers, wielding a machete." Officers fired an unknown amount of shots at the man. An ambulance was called in to administer first-aid, but Yon was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities did not release the names of the officers involved or how many officers fired their weapons.

The Portage County Sheriff's Office is conducting an independent investigation and BCI is assisting with the collection of evidence.

The officers involved in the shooting will be placed on administrative leave during the investigation.

On the web: www.newsnet5.com

On the one year anniversary of Akron police officer Justin Winebrenner's death, his father is moving forward with a new project to support local law enforcement officers across Summit County.

Winebrenner has announced the launch of Project Blue Light, JW1301, which is part of a nationwide effort to honor service members in the community.

"I think this blue light would tell those officers out there at night time, and the people driving around, that 'there's a supporter of peace keepers,'" said Winebrenner. "... this blue light represents anybody who's other in the service industry and even our military people."

Winebrenner said the bulbs will be available at local venues across the area, including at the Barberton Police Department where some officers will make a personally delivery to those who request a blue light for their home.

Donations are being accepted and will be used to purchase additional blue lights to be distributed around the area. 

Updates and more information can be found on the Justin Winebrenner Memorial Page on Facebook.

The man convicted in the fatal shooting of Akron police officer Justin Winebrenner was officially sentenced to life in prison without parole, plus an additional 65 years, Wednesday morning.

Judge Alison McCarty followed the jury's recommendation last week to sentence Kenan Ivery, 36, to life in prison over execution.

"You will never again walk among us as a free man," said McCarty.

Justin Winebrenner's father, Rob Winebrenner, was the first of many family members and friends to give a victim impact statement before Ivery's sentencing.

"Finally, I want you to know as a parent, I am content standing here as a proud father of a hero that is no longer with us, knowing the last good deed that Justin did as a police officer is getting you off the streets forever."

Ivery shot and killed Winebrenner during a fight at Papa Don's Pub last November and also wounded four others. Ivery claimed it was self-defense when he pulled the trigger. He walked back into the bar with a gun after he was asked to leave.

Previous Coverage:

UPDATE Jury Recommends Life In Prison Without Parole

Kenan Ivery's Mother Begs For Mercy In Court

UPDATE Kenan Ivery Found Guilty of Aggravated Murder

Ivery Claims Self-Defense In Murder Trial

AUDIO Chief Nice Remembers Fallen Officer