Latest news with #PortageCounty
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Federal lawsuit claims sheriff and employees retaliated against Portage County man
A Portage County man has filed a federal lawsuit against the county's sheriff and two sheriff's office employees alleging retaliation over claims the man posted on Facebook. The lawsuit, filed by William Lane in U.S. Sixth District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on May 6, names Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski, Robert James and Michael Davis, along with Portage County, as defendants. According to a complaint filed with the lawsuit, James is a corporal and Davis a captain with the sheriff's office. Court records did not identify legal representation for the defendants as of May 30. A phone message seeking comment from the sheriff's office was not immediately returned. The lawsuit was filed by William Lane, a Diamond resident in Palmyra Township. According to the 12-page complaint, Lane wrote a series of posts he called "The Bad Bruce Exhibit" on Facebook in which he accused Zuchowski, James, and Davis of being "dishonest, vindictive, incompetent, and corrupt." Lane's posts, according to the complaint, included allegations of various acts of wrongdoing against Davis, Zuchowski and unnamed sheriff's office employees. Lane also posted about a recently settled civil suit the cities of Kent, Ravenna and Streetsboro filed against the sheriff over the distribution of money and assets that had been owned by the defunct Portage County Drug Task Force that the cities and sheriff's office were members of; Zuchowski urging "supporters to record names and addresses of persons who supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 Presidential election;" and a claim that Zuchowski kept a "hit list" of people he saw as political enemies. Lane also encouraged Portage County voters to support Zuchowski's opponent, Jon Barber, in the November election, during which Zuchowski ultimately won a second four-year term. The complaint alleges that someone identifying himself as "Jonathan Porter" posted false allegations about Lane on a Facebook page entitled "Will Lane Exhibit," which has since been deleted. The allegations included that Lane is a narcotics user and dealer and a "woman beater." Also posted were Lane's phone number and email and home addresses, the complaint alleges. The complaint alleges that "James, acting with Zuchowski's knowledge and consent, actually posted the 'Will Lane Exhibit,' and created Jonathan Porter to conceal James', and Zuchowski's involvement with the publication of the Will Lane Exhibit." The complaint also alleges that "Davis, acting with the knowledge and consent of Zuchowski, contacted an Ohio State Agency to inquire about the possibility of cancelling Lane's license to grow industrial hemp." Lane is licensed by the state to grow hemp on his property for the production of legal CBD oil. Lane's complaint alleges all of these actions were retaliation for Lane's posts, which the complaint asserts "are true," and therefore protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The complaint says that the alleged actions by the defendants "caused Lane to suffer substantial emotional and psychological distress." The complaint alleges that the defendants retaliated against him for exercising his constitutional rights; Portage County is liable because it "created a culture of corruption in the Sheriff's Office, and permitted that culture of corruption to embed itself in the Sheriff's Office, and to grow;" and that Lane was libeled, slandered and defamed. Lane is requesting a total of more than $5 million in punitive and compensatory damages, as well as court costs. Lane previously sued Portage County and three sheriff's deputies in connection with an allegation that his civil rights were violated during an April 2023 traffic stop in Ravenna Township. A federal judge dismissed the suit in April. More: Federal judge dismisses hemp farmer's lawsuit against Portage County, sheriff's deputies Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@ This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Portage County man claims sheriff and employees retaliated against him
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
Fremont woman admits stabbing elderly man, takes plea
A Sandusky County teen accused of trying to stab an elderly Ravenna Township man to death is awaiting sentencing after pleading to a lesser charge. Alexis Nicole Davis, 19, of Fremont, pleaded guilty to second-degree felony assault during a May 14 pretrial hearing in Portage County Common Pleas Court, according to court records. Court records provide a Fremont address for Davis, but a Portage County sheriff's report lists a Kent address for her. Sentencing is pending a presentence investigation by the court's adult probation department. She faces a maximum of eight to 12 years in prison, but Judge Laurie J. Pittman also ordered that Davis be evaluated for various alternative programs. Sheriff's personnel responded to a domestic incident at the home of a then-70-year-old man on Sumner Street in Ravenna Township during the afternoon of May 22, 2024, according to a sheriff's report and court records. The man, a Davis relative, was stabbed twice in the torso with a knife. A warrant was issued for Davis' arrest and she was later taken into custody. More: Ravenna man gets prison for knife attack on man at bus stop According to court records, a psychiatric evaluation determined Davis was sane at the time of the assault, but she suffers from an unspecified form of mental illness. She was committed for a time to Northcoast Behavioral Healthcare, a state-run psychiatric facility in Sagamore Hills Township, while her case was pending. In a plea deal, prosecutors agreed to dismiss other charges in a grand jury indictment, including first-degree felony attempted murder, another second degree felony assault count, and first-degree misdemeanor domestic violence. Court paperwork identifies the weaon Davis used as a knife. Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@ This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Fremont woman admits stabbing elderly man
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
More than 2,000 still without power in Portage County May 17 following storm
FirstEnergy Corp. are blaming storm damage for nearly 2,300 of its Portage County customers still being without power as of about 2.p.m. May 17. The largest number was nearly 900 without power in Brimfield Township, with more than 400 without power in Rootstown. Other smaller outages have been reported elsewhere in the county. Estimated restoration time is currently by 3 p.m. May 19. Go to for updated and more detailed information about power outages. More than 3,000 were without power earlier in the afternoon. This included more than 800 in Suffield Township, but that number dropped to less than 200. FirstEnergy says severe weather is causing outages around the region. In Portage County, tree and equipment damage has been reported as the cause of at least some outages. The Ohio Department of Transportation reported U.S. 224 was closed due to downed power lines between state routes 43 and 44 in the morning May 17, but the road has reopened. Streetsboro police reported a section of Frost Road west of State Route 43, was closed following a utility pole fire during the evening May 16, but that road has also reopened. Ohio Edison posted on Facebook precautions people should take if they find down power lines, including: Assume downed power lines are energized and dangerous. Stay at least 30 ft away from downed lines and anything they might be touching. Use extra caution in areas where lines are tangled in trees or other debris. Never drive over a downed line Report downed lines as soon as possible to 911. This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: More than 2,000 still without power in Portage County May 17
