DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Image is everything in Dubai — even when fighting crime.

Police in this desert metropolis have built up a high-horsepower arsenal of luxury sports cars and SUVs over the years to complement their fleet of green-and-white patrol cruisers.

Dubai police Lt. Saif Sultan Rashed al-Shamsi, who oversees the tourist police’s patrol section, pushes down one of the twin scissor doors of the $140,000 BMW i8 during a demonstration in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on May 19. AP PHOTO

The high-end squad cars fit into the greater gearhead ethos of Dubai, where fire-engine red Ferraris growl at stoplights and convertible Rolls Royces prowl the boulevard ringing the world’s tallest building.

Lamborghinis also glisten through the glass of a massive new showroom on Sheikh Zayed Road, the country’s longest thoroughfare that is a dozen lanes at its widest when cutting through Dubai.

But don’t expect their Lamborghini Aventador to show up if you rear-end someone.

These police cars don’t see duty at traffic accidents or engage in high-speed pursuits, said Dubai police Lt. Saif Sultan Rashed al-Shamsi, who oversees the tourist police’s patrol section.

Instead, al-Shamsi said the cars appear for special events across Dubai — or cruise areas frequented by tourists, offering visitors a glamorous image of the Dubai police.

That also is a way for the city-state’s police force to be more accessible and welcomed by the public in a country home to a huge foreign workforce, al-Shamsi said.

“One of the funny stories we have is that a lot of tourists and people here call the Dubai police … on (the emergency number) 999 to ask about these cars,” al-Shamsi said. “They want to know which location they will be in and how they can find them and take pictures with them.”

Their photogenic qualities came out in force on a recent day as officers parked several outside the Armani Hotel in the 828-meter (2,717-foot) Burj Khalifa.

The twin scissor doors of the police’s BMW i8 swung open like wings on the $140,000 car, which flies to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds. The car’s license plate read 2020, a nod to Dubai hosting 2020 World Expo, a world’s fair held every five years.

Along for the ride were a two-door Bentley Continental and a Nissan GTR, its license plate the same as Dubai’spolice emergency number and the plastic wrap still around its backseat.

Tim Dean, a 24-year-old tourist from St. Petersburg, Florida, used to the Ford Crown Victoria police cars on the streets of the United States, stopped to snap a quick photograph of the assembled exotic vehicles.

“You don’t see many cop cars like this,” Dean said.

That’s true, especially as the force’s vehicles also include brands like Aston Martin, Lamborghini and Ferrari.

However, one place you do see these cars is online. Videos of vehicles have millions of views and the cars themselves serve as characters in advertisements for Dubai events and in stunt clips.

In the United States, many police departments use sports cars captured in drug seizures for anti-narcotic efforts in schools. Al-Shamsi declined to discuss whether the Dubai police cars were purchases or donations.

There’s been little academic study on what effect such cars have on actual policing and Dubai’s effort may be more about projecting an image, said Dennis Kenney, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.

“I know that the police in Dubai also like to tout their high-end sports cars as traffic vehicles which beyond going really fast aren’t too functional for any other aspects of policing,” Kenney said.

That could be seen on a recent morning when Cpl. Mohammed Ali piloted the force’s Brabus Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG, an SUV that retails for over $200,000. He eased it over a speed bump, slipped the transmission into neutral and tapped the accelerator, drawing a throaty roar from its V8 engine.

“It’s very strong,” the corporal said, a smile on his lips as he revved the engine again.

The post High-end police cars don’t seem out of place in Dubai appeared first on Chronicle-Telegram.

The Medina County OVI Task Force will set up a sobriety checkpoint in the city of Brunswick Friday night, according to a press release.

The exact time and location will be announced Friday morning and posted on the Medina Gazette website.

Commander of the task force Lt. Brian Ohlin said the federally funded checkpoint program is meant to deter and intercept impaired drivers.

“Citizens of our county continue to be injured and killed as a result of impaired drivers on our streets and highways. OVI checkpoints are designed to not only deter impaired driving, but to proactively remove these dangerous drivers from our roadways,” Ohlin said.

The Fourth Amendment requires law enforcement to release the time and location of the checkpoint.

Wadsworth police on Thursday reminded residents to lock their car doors after about 10 thefts were reported in the last week.

Money and valuables have been reportedly taken from unlocked vehicles, mostly in driveways, around Second, Third, Summit and High streets from May 20 through Tuesday, Lt. Rob Wyrick said Thursday.

“We are encouraging the public to be vigilant,” Wyrick said.

“At night, people that (residents) don’t recognize out walking on the sidewalks (can be a reason to call police),” Wyrick said. There are no suspects.

He also said residents should be aware of a barking dog as a sign that a stranger could be in the vicinity.

Wadsworth police can be reached at (330) 334-1511.

A woman who pushed a Spencer police officer after a night of drinking was sentenced Thursday to 180 days in Medina County Jail.

Pamela Steiner, 51, of Spencer, pleaded guilty April 18 to attempted assault of a peace officer, a fifth-degree felony. She was credited with two days served.

“I did act very unacceptably,” Steiner said.

Medina County Common Pleas Judge Joyce V. Kimbler questioned her motivations for entering a plea.

“You told the probation officer you only pled guilty so you wouldn’t go to prison,” Kimbler said.

Steiner said in court that she pushed Officer Jeffrey Kinney away Oct. 6 but disputed the claim that she punched the officer. She told Kimbler that after the push, Kinney “body-slammed” her.

“The way (the officer) perceived it and the way I perceived it was different,” Steiner said.

Defense attorney Joe Salzgeber said Steiner received surgery this spring for a broken nose and chipped teeth.

Salzgeber added that Steiner suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. No details about the disorder were disclosed in court.

Steiner said the incident occurred in a hospital parking lot after she had been drinking.

“That’s not like me, that was so out of character,” she said.

Kimbler questioned that statement, noting Steiner tested positive for marijuana and oxycodone while out on bond. Kimbler also cited an OVI conviction from a June incident.

Salzgeber said Steiner has not consumed alcohol since the attempted assault. Steiner added that she took the oxycodone for back pain.

Before sentencing, her attorney requested probation instead of jail.

Steiner asked for several days to arrange care for her dog before starting her sentence in Medina County Jail, but the request was denied.

“You were given the privilege of going out of state to your daughter’s wedding (in Oregon),” Kimbler said. “You will go to jail now.”

Steiner was then handcuffed and taken away.

Michael T. Funk, 22, of Medina, was killed Friday when his motorcycle hit a car on Columbia Road in Liverpool Township.

Ohio Highway Patrol officers said Funk was riding northbound on Columbia just past Abbeyville Road. The patrol said Funk crossed a double yellow line and passed his friend also riding a motorcycle. Over the crest of a hill, he hit an oncoming car in Columbia’s 1600 block, where the speed limit is 55

LAWRENCE PANTAGES / GAZETTE
Police responded to an auto-motorcycle crash at about 3 p.m. Friday afternoon in the 1600 block of Columbia Road in Liverpool Township. Cyclist Michael T. Funk, 22, of Medina, riding a 2001 Yamaha R6, was killed when police said he crossed a double yellow line and hit a southbound 2009 Buick Lacrosse driven by Craig Haeberle of Valley City. A cyclist friend of Funk’s was unharmed. Haeberle and his passenger, wife Cherri, were taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries, officers said.

Despite life-saving measures, Funk was pronounced dead at the scene.

Funk, who was wearing a helmet, was estimated to have been thrown 75 to 100 feet into a field on the east side of Columbia Road.

Funk’s 2001 Yamaha R6 cycle collided with a 2009 Buick Lacrosse being driven southbound by Craig Haeberle of Valley City in Liverpool Township. Haeberle and his wife, Cherri, were taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries, officers said.

The accident was reported at 3:09 p.m. and the road was closed for nearly two hours.

The patrol said Valley City EMS, Brunswick Hills EMS, the Medina County Sheriff and the Medina County Engineer’s Office assisted.

Sgt. Calvin Undercoffer, who will retire from the Medina Police Department on June 11, has worn many different hats during his career.

Calvin Undercoffer

The job that he will remember most is working patrol, since it allowed him to mingle with residents of the city.

“Medina has a great mix of people,” he said. “They have a little bit of everything … business, industry, a nice mixture.”

Undercoffer, 62, said he also served as a field training officer, a firearms instructor, in charge of dispatch and in charge of the detective bureau in his 33 years on the force.

He couldn’t even venture a guess of how many people he’s arrested over the years.

“Someone will come up to you years later and say, ‘You probably don’t remember me, but you arrested me in such-and-such a year and it really changed me. I’m back on the straight and narrow.’”

Undercoffer said he has seen a pattern through the years. It bothers him that he not only arrested many adults, but some of their children are showing up on the arrest reports. He wonders if patterns of behavior in some situations will change.

He said he’s never been involved in any murder cases, but a few others do resonate with him. He said he’ll probably never forget some of the “sudden-death cases.” One involved a man who had been stabbed in the heart. He worked that shift with Dennis Hanwell, who is now the mayor of Medina.

“I thought he was dead for sure,” Undercoffer said. “They landed a helicopter in the grass (on Branch Road) and took him to the hospital. He survived. I remember stuff like that.”

Another time, he responded to a call where a toddler had pulled a toy chest on top of her and died.

“You don’t forget something like that, especially with kids of your own,” he said. “(You don’t forget) the horror you see with the parents. It affects you a bit. You learn to deal with it.”

He said he’s most proud of starting a field training program — a version of it still is used today — in the early 1990s.

“We did a good job of training new officers,” he said.

Overall, Undercoffer has been a police officer for 37 years.

“A big part of me is thinking, ‘Oh man, I’m going to miss the people,’ “ he said.

He has worked under four different chiefs — Homer C. Davis, Tom Steyer, Hanwell and Patrick Berarducci.

He said he eventually plans to do some traveling.

He’s also “going to stay on as a special with the police department. I’ll be up here for some events. I’ll do a little part-time work. I don’t want to work full-time. I’ve enjoyed it. I wouldn’t have stayed that long if I hadn’t.”

He said as an auxiliary officer, he’ll work parades and other activities.

Berarducci asked him to work with the citizens police academy, which operates in conjunction with departments in Medina and Montville townships.

Undercoffer grew up in Barberton, but “I’ve lived in Medina County the past 33 years,” he said.

He and his wife, Katrina, have three grown daughters.

Undercoffer said there isn’t a going-away party planned.

“I love Medina,” Undercoffer said. “It’s changing, but it’s a good town.”

The FBI and Cleveland police have released a sketch of a person of interest authorities want to talk to about a kidnapping in Cleveland last month and an attempted abduction in Elyria in February.

A composite sketch of the man accused of a kidnapping in Cleveland and an attempted abduction in Elyria. PHOTO PROVIDED

The sketch depicts a man who was spotted in the West 104th Street neighborhood in Cleveland on May 21, the day 6-year-old Neveah Wylie was taken from inside her home about 2 a.m. She was released about 17 hours later and has told investigators she was held in a bedroom that had moose, grass and trees on the wall, something police believe to be wallpaper.

Elyria Police Chief Duane Whitely announced last week that the kidnapping of Neveah had been linked forensically to a Feb. 25 incident in which a man came through the bedroom window of a 10-year-old girl and tried to grab her legs in her Furnace Street home.

The girl managed to free herself and fled to her father’s room. He grabbed a gun and ran outside, but didn’t find the man who had entered his daughter’s bedroom.

The father later told police his security system showed that someone appeared to have entered his home through a door he never used the day before and opened windows.

The suspect in the Elyria incident was described as a white male in his 20s wearing black clothing and a ski mask.

A still photo of a man walking in the area of the Cleveland abduction about 2 a.m. May 14, about a week before Neveah was taken, shows a man with facial hair wearing a hat or visor and a hooded jacket with a possible logo on it. He also was wearing dark shoes with light-colored soles. That individual is considered a person of interest in the case.

Investigators also are looking for a between 2003 and 2005 Pontiac Grand Am with four doors, a sunroof, a spoiler, black side mirrors and a bra on the front.

The FBI and CrimeStoppers are offering rewards totaling $20,000 for information that leads to the man responsible being identified and prosecuted.

Elyria police Capt. Chris Costantino said some tips have come in but declined to discuss specifics.

Anyone with information on the case can call a confidential tip line at (216) 622-6842.

A Wisconsin man sentenced to 19 years in prison for beating his ex-boyfriend with a gun in 2006 won’t be getting out any time soon.

Medina County Common Pleas Judge Christopher J. Collier denied a motion Wednesday for the early release of 47-year-old Alton Cromartie.

Alton Cromartie

Defense attorney Robert Campbell filed a motion in March requesting a lighter sentence for Cromartie, who is slated for release Feb. 14, 2025, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.

In the filing totaling more than 70 pages, Campbell included letters of support from family members and former employers and documentation of medical complications resulting from gastroparesis. Gastroparesis is a stomach illness that Campbell said caused Cromartie to depend on a tube in his shoulder for nutrients and caused him to lose 100 pounds since his trial in 2006.

Campbell argued an undiagnosed mental illness made Cromartie a “terrifying” presence at his trial, which influenced the court’s sentencing. Cromartie since has received medication for bipolar disorder, according to documents filed by Campbell.

“I’m sure he’s going to be very disappointed. He’s worked very hard to try to reform himself,” Campbell said. “Sometimes your past is so big it’s hard to overcome.”

Cromartie was convicted in 2006 of aggravated burglary, felonious assault and two counts each of intimidation, retaliation and violating a protection order.

On New Year’s Day the same year, Campbell drove to Brunswick and hid in a Jeep outside a house belonging to his ex-boyfriend’s parents. The ex-boyfriend, who was visiting his parents at the time, saw that the car windows were fogged.

He approached the car and found Cromartie holding a gun, according to court documents. Cromartie hit the man in the head with the butt of the gun until it shattered.

Medina County Prosecutor Dean Holman said the ex-boyfriend’s mother was watching and tried to stop the fight.

Cromartie has been involved in two similar assault cases, where he has exaggerated or faked medical conditions to avoid responsibility, Holman said while arguing against Cromartie’s release at a hearing Friday.

He said Collier’s decision is just and in the best interest of the victims and the community.

“The court made the correct decision,” he said. “The victims will be very grateful and the community will be safer with the defendant locked up.”

Campbell said he plans to discuss possible next steps with his client.

“We’ll have to talk and see where we’ll go from here.”

A Brunswick man will serve 18 months in prison for a car crash that fractured the spine of an elderly resident and broke a gas line.

Steven Paserk, 28, was sentenced Monday in Medina County Common Pleas Court after pleading guilty last month to vandalism and vehicular assault, fourth-degree felonies.

Paserk previously was found guilty of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol in Medina Municipal Court for the same incident.

Paserk was driving home from a friend’s house about 3 a.m. June 12 last year when he lost control, striking a gas meter and a house on Charlotte Drive in Brunswick, according to police.

The crash knocked an elderly woman out of her bed, causing an injury to her back, Holman said.

“The victim is really suffering. She has a fractured back,” he said, adding she no longer can live on her own.

The woman’s husband was uninjured, but both were evacuated from the house, according to police.

The crash caused $150,000 in damage to the residence, Holman said.

Defense attorney Ray Jones said Paserk was remorseful.

“He immediately said he was sorry by apologizing and taking responsibility that evening,” Jones said.

Jones asked for a year of jail time and probation.

“It’s just a terrible tragedy,” he said.

Jones added his client has an alcohol problem.

“He’s a young guy and starts off with the soft drugs and then gets into alcohol,” he said.

The family of the victims wanted to pursue the maximum sentence, Jones said.

Holman said he asked for two years of prison time.

“This case shows the danger of drunk driving,” Holman said.

Paserk has no prior felonies in Medina County Common Pleas Court records. He does have several misdemeanor drug convictions from a 2011 case in Medina Municipal Court.

A Medina man’s unwanted sexual advances toward a 16-year-old girl occurred more than 12 years ago, but their effects linger, the victim, now a 28-year-old graduate student, said Monday in Medina County Common Pleas Court.

“It’s haunted me the last 12 years and it probably will the rest of my life,” she said.

Albert Hoelscher, 33, was sentenced to a year in prison Monday after pleading guilty in April to one count of gross sexual imposition, a fourth-degree felony. Once he’s released, he will be required to register as a Tier II sex offender for the next 25 years.

County Prosecutor Dean Holman said the state has about 20 years to press charges in such cases, but it is uncommon for people to come forward after a long passage of time.

“I give credit to the victim for coming forward and dealing with this,” he said.

The woman reported the incident to Medina police in 2013 and, after an investigation, the case came to the prosecutor’s office in 2015, Holman said.

According to the indictment, Hoelscher had sexual contact with the victim between November 2003 and April 2004. Holman said Hoelscher, who then was 20 or 21, provided the 16-year-old girl with alcohol when she was visiting his house, Holman said.

Hoelscher made sexual advances while the girl was intoxicated, but the exact extent is disputed, defense attorney Robert Campbell said in court.

Holman said friends of the girl witnessed the event, but whether the girl was unconscious is unclear.

“This young lady was not in a physical condition, because of her alcohol consumption, to engage in that type of sexual activity,” Campbell said.

Campbell argued for probation instead of prison time. He said Hoelscher had several drug-related offenses dating to the event, but little legal trouble since.

“He has lived eight to 12 years of a law-abiding life since these events occurred,” Hoelscher said.

But Judge Christopher J. Collier said Hoelscher previously violated probation and pointed to a criminal case in Wadsworth Municipal Court where he was found guilty of telephone harassment in 2013.

Hoelscher tearfully apologized for his actions of 12 years ago.

“I’m very sorry that things went the way they did,” he said.

Before sentencing Hoelscher, Collier spoke to the victim.

“Nothing in the world anybody can do can help you. … You survived,” Collier said. “That’s a triumph.”

ELIZABETH DOBBINS / GAZETTE
Eric Warfel listens to the decision as his defense attorney Michael O’Shea, Medina County Prosecuting Attorney Dean Holman and assistant prosecuting attorney Paul Lange take notes.

Eric Warfel was solemn Wednesday morning as a Medina County judge read his decision — guilty on all seven counts related to the death of Warfel’s 20-month-old daughter last year.

Warfel, who will turn 35 on June 15, was arrested last summer after an Armstrong Cable installer found the decomposed body of Ember Warfel in her crib in Medina.

The Medina resident was charged with a third-degree felony, tampering with evidence, and three fifth-degree felonies — gross abuse of a corpse and two counts of cocaine possession. He also was indicted on three counts of endangering children, all first-degree misdemeanors.

Warfel will face up to six years in prison when he is sentenced July 7 by Common Pleas Judge Christopher J. Collier.

After Collier read the decision, Warfel was handcuffed and transported to Medina County Jail, where he will await sentencing.

County Prosecutor Dean Holman said he was pleased with the outcome.

“The case included complex legal issues,” Holman said. “We appreciate the court’s consideration and diligence working through those issues and we also appreciate the fine work of the Medina City Police Department.”

ELIZABETH DOBBINS / GAZETTE
Eric Warfel stands to be handcuffed after the reading of the decision. Defense attorney Michael O’Shea sits in the foreground.

Defense attorney Michael O’Shea said he did not agree with the judge’s interpretation of laws that were cited in the charges against Warfel.

“I respect the process,” he said. “I do disagree that the law fits the fact.”

O’Shea and the prosecution team of Holman and assistant Paul Lange presented conflicting interpretations of several laws involved in the case in concluding statements that were filed with the court last Friday.

At the beginning of the case, Warfel waived his right to a trial by jury, leaving the decision of guilty or not guilty to Collier. The judge heard testimony from 14 witnesses called by the prosecution over three days. The trial concluded with the defense making a motion for acquittal.

According to testimonies, Warfel found Ember dead in their Medina apartment in mid-June of last year, but did not report her death to authorities. A cable technician discovered her body a month and a half later on July 29.

After Warfel’s arrest later the same day, police discovered cocaine in Warfel’s Forest Meadows Apartment and in a Westlake motel where he and an older daughter were staying.

Examiners were unable to determine the child’s cause of death because of an advanced stage of decomposition, prosecutors said.

Wally Woods

The attorney for a man accused of killing his estranged wife in January is pursuing a continuance in the Wayne County case.

The jury trial is scheduled to begin 9 a.m. June 20 in Wayne County Common Pleas Court in Wooster.

Wayne County Common Pleas Court Judge Corey E. Spitler is expected to rule on the request by Wednesday. LaReece KeSean “Wally” Woods is from Orrville, where the shooting occurred Jan. 7.

Attorney Adam M. Vanho of Akron, who was recently retained by Woods’ family, is seeking extra time to become familiar with the case.

Woods, who turns 23 on Monday, is accused of murdering Emily A. Young, 24. The couple’s twin daughters were in the back seat of Young’s SUV when Woods allegedly shot the 2009 Black River High School graduate several times at close range.

Emily Young

Woods is charged with murder, involuntary murder, domestic violence and violating a protection order. Orrville police said Woods, who is being held at Wayne County Jail on $1 million bond, confessed to the shooting.

The murder charge is one of three separate cases against Woods.

In a June 27 incident with a 20-year-old Wooster woman, Woods is facing two counts of sexual battery, a third-degree felony, and two counts of sexual imposition, a third-degree misdemeanor, according to court records.

That jury trial is scheduled for June 27, also in Wayne County Common Pleas Court. According to court records, his attorney has asked for a continuance in that case.

Woods also is accused of biting two deputies in Wayne County Jail in April. In that incident he is facing two charges of assault, both fourth-degree felonies.

That jury trial is set for  9 a.m. July 25.

This story has been edited to reflect the following correction: A continuance is being sought in Wally Woods’ murder trial. It has not been granted.

The three-year prison sentence an opiate-addicted war veteran received for the death of a Medina teenager withstood the scrutiny of the 9th District Court of Appeals.

Heather Graham

The court last week overruled the complaints in an appeal filed by now 33-year-old Heather Graham shortly after she was sentenced in September 2014.

Graham, who waived her right to a jury trial, was found guilty of corrupting a minor with drugs and complicity and conspiracy to traffic heroin in the death of 17-year-old Brittnee Johns.

Graham, who met Brittnee in Narcotics Anonymous, gave her heroin in May 2013 after the two spent a day in Cleveland together, according to prosecutors. The next morning, just days before Brittnee’s graduation from Medina High School, the teen was found dead of a heroin overdose in her Medina home.

The appeal filed by Graham argued there was not enough evidence for former Medina County Common Pleas Judge James L. Kimbler to find Graham guilty.

Britnee Johns

According to court documents, the appeal challenged the charge of corrupting another with drugs. The document said “the State presented insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Graham ‘knowingly furnished or administered’ heroin to (Brittnee).”

The appeal also asserted the state did not provide enough evidence to convict Graham on complicity and conspiracy to traffic heroin charges.

The appeals court ruled the timeline and evidence presented in Graham’s trial supported the judge’s guilty finding.

Graham is being held at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville and is scheduled for release in August 2017 at the latest, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.

ELIZABETH DOBBINS / GAZETTE
Law enforcement stands outside a Harrisville Township home Thursday after a 27 year old was taken into custody.

A six-hour standoff ended Thursday when a SWAT team entered the home of a Harrisville Township man armed with a machete, handgun and sword.

The Medina County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call about an incident at a home on the 10300 block of Crawford Road shortly after 5 a.m. Thursday.

A neighbor reported resident Jason Callison, 27, was alone in his front yard, yelling and firing a gun into the air, according to Capt. Ken Baca.

“I can hear him yelling, ‘f—- you, f—- you,’ and they got guns going bam, bam, bam, bam, bam,” the neighbor told a 911 dispatcher.

Shooting a gun is not illegal on one’s property, but the context of the call raised concerns, Baca said.

“It’s unusual behavior at 5 a.m.,” Baca said.

ELIZABETH DOBBINS/GAZETTE Sheriff’s deputies pull up to a home for a standoff Thursday.

Callison, the lone resident of the house, barricaded himself inside his house armed with weapons, the captain said.

After negotiations, a multijurisdictional SWAT team headed by the sheriff’s department entered the house. Callison was taken into custody at about noon and transported to Medina Hospital for evaluation, according to the sheriff’s office.

Baca said the county prosecutor will determine charges, which could include disorderly conduct and aggravated menacing.

Callison has prior municipal court convictions for multiple speeding violations but no felony record in Medina Common Pleas Court. Baca said the Sheriff’s Office has responded to the house before for similar calls.

The 911 caller said his neighbor often shouted while he was outside. This was the third or fourth time the caller has reported Callison to the sheriff’s department, the man told the dispatcher.

A Medina man was sentenced to seven years in prison Thursday for making methamphetamine in an apartment where investigators found a 2-year-old child.

Jerry Canfield

Jerry Canfield, 37, pleaded no contest to seven counts of illegal manufacture of drugs and one count of endangering children after the Medina County Drug Task Force raided his apartment Jan. 6 at Liberty Plaza Apartments in Medina.

Inside, investigators found equipment for making meth, a 2-year-old child and the child’s mother, according to the task force.

Defense attorney Richard Barbera told Medina County Common Pleas Judge Joyce V. Kimbler during  sentencing that he believes Canfield has “bottomed out” and is ready to turn his life around. He pointed to the child as one of the reasons for this change.

“I’m glad it’s all over,” Canfield said in court.

He told the judge that he wants to get a better education.

“I hope you do take this opportunity,” she said.

She sentenced Canfield to seven years in prison for the manufacture of drugs charges, all first-degree felonies, and to three years for the child-endangering charge, a third-degree felony.

The sentences will run concurrently for seven years. Canfield was credited for 152 days served.

While announcing his sentence, Kimbler cited Canfield’s previous noncompliance with court supervision and a “lengthy and serious” criminal record.

“It’s a long time to serve in prison,” Medina County Prosecutor Dean Holman said. “He’s going to have seven long years to think about the stupidity of making meth and the danger it presents to people.”

Barbera said he was disappointed with the sentence.

The child was placed into emergency custody in January, and investigators contacted caseworkers from Medina County Job & Family Services.

The child’s mother, Erica Grabowski, 32, was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to child endangerment and drug charges in April.

The Medina County OVI Task Force will set up a sobriety checkpoint in Medina Township Saturday evening, according to a press release.

The exact location of the checkpoint will be announced Saturday morning.

According to the press release, the checkpoint, which is planned to deter and intercept impaired drivers, is funded by federal grants.

“Citizens of our county continue to be injured and killed as a result of impaired drivers on our streets and highways. OVI checkpoints are designed to not only deter impaired driving, but to proactively remove these dangerous drivers from our roadways.” Lt Brian Ohlin, commander of the Medina County OVI Task Force said.

Federal law requires police to release the dates, times and locations of the sobriety checkpoints ahead of time.

The continuing fight against drug overdoses took a new step Thursday as nearly 150 law enforcement officials from state, local and federal agencies met in Richfield in Summit County.

“The turnout that you see here today is so indicative of what a problem we have here in the state,” said Director of Criminal Justice Initiatives Amy O’Grady. “People want to learn what they can do to help.”

HALEE HEIRONIMUS / GAZETTE Special Agent Dan Boerner from the BCI- Crime Scene Unit gives a presentation on “Preserving the Evidence” during the Opiate Overdose Death Investigations Seminar Thursday morning.

The seminar at the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy in Richfield covered investigation techniques including crime scene evidence collection and forensic examinations.

“One of the things we found was very valuable … we got people in the same room to network about things they’ve seen,” O’Grady said.

Special Agent Dan Boerner from the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation discussed investigation tactics. In a heroin overdose case, Boerner recommended treating the scene as if it were a homicide.

Overdose statistics
Facts presented to law enforcement at a seminar on drug overdoses Thursday in Richfield:
Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States with 47,055 lethal drug overdoses in 2014.
Of 21.5 million Americans age 12 or older who had a substance-use disorder in 2014, there were 1.9 million involving prescription pain relievers and 586,000 involving heroin.
In 2014, an estimated 28,000 adolescents (ages 12-17) had used heroin in the past year — with an estimate16,000 currently using.
Four in five new heroin users started out misusing prescription painkillers. In 2014 survey, 94 percent of respondents said they used heroin because prescription opioids were “far more expensive and harder to obtain.”
Opioids include the illicit heroin as well as prescription pain relievers including oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine and fentanyl. Opioids are chemically related and interact with opioid receptors on nerve cells in the brain and nervous system to produce pleasurable effects and relieve pain.
Deaths nationwide in 2014 related to prescription pain relievers: 18,893.
Deaths nationwide in 2014 related to heroin: 10,574.
In Ohio, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a 17 percent increase in drug overdose death rates from 2013-14. The 2013 figure was 2,347 and rose to 2,744 in 2014.
SOURCES: American Society of Addiction Medicine; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

He showed two photographs that exemplified a crime scene.

One was of a living room area with items — such as cell phones and drinking glasses — and the other showed the same area with table cards, marked numerically from 1 to 15, labeling evidence.

“We’re talking about collecting and preserving evidence,” Boerner said.

“Even if you don’t test it, it’s better to collect all evidence and not test it rather than not collect (the evidence).”

“If we have medical examiners explain their process, law enforcement gets firsthand knowledge of the types of things that that medical examiner is looking at when he/she performs the process,” O’Grady said.

“Prosecutors that have a full understanding of how their case is developed from start to finish can talk about what they need to move forward when they have cases that go in front of the court.”

In other presentations, agents Justin Root and Brent Riley from the BCI’s cyber crimes unit discussed telephones and technology in collecting evidence.

A state Board of Pharmacy regional supervisor, Jesse Wimberly, covered prescription issues.

Medical examiners Hugh Shannon and Dr. Tom Gilson (Cuyahoga County) and Dr. Lisa Kohler (Summit County) spoke, as did Cuyahoga County prosecutor Saleh Awadallah, who supervises the major trial unit, Detectives Mike Schmidt of Akron and Scott Moran of Cleveland also gave presentations.

“The purpose of these courses is to help people develop good material when they have those fact-specific circumstances where they want to pursue cases in criminal court,” O’Grady said.

The academy, part of the Ohio Attorney General’s office, oversees training requirements and education for peace officers, private security, local corrections, jail personnel, police dog units and humane agents.

It also offers firearms programs for public defender investigators, bailiffs, probation officers and parole officers.

The academy is at 4055 Highlander Parkway in Richfield in Summit County.

Two out-of-state residents who were arrested in Medina County after a police chase pleaded not guilty Monday in Medina County Common Pleas Court.

Meagan Smith

Meagan Smith, 18, of Baltimore, was charged with identity fraud, forgery and seven counts of receiving stolen property after the May 3 chase.

Bryan Jordan, 20, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was indicted on five counts of receiving stolen property.

Driving the van was 25-year-old Tavaurus Huntley of Dania Beach, Fla. He pleaded not guilty last Thursday to failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and five counts of receiving stolen property.

Sheriff’s Deputy Dave King attempted to stop the van on state Route 18 in Sharon Township that was carrying Huntley, Smith and Jordan, but the vehicle sped off, according to the Medina County Drug Task Force.

Bryan Jordan

According to the task force, the suspects threw several purses and credit cards out the window of the van during the chase throughout the county.

Troopers from the Medina post of the Ohio Highway Patrol, sheriff’s deputies and officers from the Montville Township, Medina Township and Seville police departments aided in the apprehension of the three.

A news release from the task force said the three are suspected in a recent rash of car break-ins that have occurred in Medina and Cuyahoga counties.

Jordan’s trial is scheduled for Aug. 31 with a pretrial Aug. 25. Smith has a trial scheduled for Aug. 1 and a pretrial scheduled for July 28.

Huntley’s trial is scheduled for Aug. 17 with a pretrial Aug. 10.

A Lodi man convicted of setting fire to his mother’s house was sentenced to five years in prison Monday.

Matthew Harris

Last month a jury found 49-year-old Matthew Harris guilty in Medina County Common Pleas Court on two counts of aggravated arson, first-degree felonies. Harris pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but was found guilty of starting a fire at the Lodi home while he and his wheelchair-bound mother were inside.

During his sentencing hearing, Common Pleas Judge Christopher J. Collier discussed Harris’ lengthy criminal record and his history with mental health issues.

“I am sympathetic to the mental health issues you describe (but) there is a problem … with placing all the blame on that,” Collier said.

Collier said Harris’ criminal record dates to the mid-1980s when he was in juvenile court. The record includes multiple theft, burglary and substance abuse-related charges.

Defense attorney David Sheldon said Harris first was admitted for electro-convulsive therapy when he was 19 and he has been hospitalized for mental health issues since then, including a two-month hospital stay after the fire in February 2015.

Sheldon added that Harris struggles with alcohol and drug abuse problems as well.

Collier said Harris admitted he was drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana all day prior to starting the fire.

“I know that I was in the wrong for my actions, but at the time I was so out of control,” Harris said during the sentencing hearing. “I was hearing voices.”

Harris said he is taking medication and trying to get better.

“Your drug use has just got to end,” Collier told Harris.

Sheldon said the defense and prosecution called in doctors during Harris’ three-day trial. Both agreed Harris started the fire during a psychotic episode, but disagreed as to the cause of the episode. The doctor called by the defense focused on mental health issues, while the prosecution’s doctor focused on substance abuse, Sheldon explained.

“The jury believed he knew what he was doing was wrong at the time,” Sheldon said.

He said Harris likely will appeal.

However, both Sheldon and county Prosecutor Dean Holman agreed the sentence was appropriate.

“I think that’s a fair sentence given his background,” Sheldon said.

Holman added the fire also put firefighters, law enforcement and then 76-year-old Barbara Harris in danger. Police rescued Barbara Harris from the burning building by lifting her wheelchair.

“If it wasn’t for the bravery of the deputy who rescued the victim, she probably wouldn’t have survived,” Holman said.

Police also rescued Harris, who closed the door after his mother was removed and was lying in his upstairs bed waiting for the smoke to kill him, Sheldon said.

Barbara Harris has since died, according to the prosecutor’s office.