Soldiers At Sears And Arrests On School Grounds: A Week In Review

Mentor has seen some big news this week -- not all of it upbeat -- so let's, at least, start on a positive note.

1. Sears made one soldier and his family's Christmas a little better.

The chain of department stores gave Sgt. Daniel Lewis several kitchen tools, including a mixer, coffee maker, bakery ware and toaster oven, as well as a $500 gift card to the store, as part of its Heroes at Home program.

Lewis, meanwhile, was very gracious about the gift.

"I don't feel like I deserve this. I think my family deserves it," he added.

"I'm just doing my job. I know how cliche that sounds but it's what I signed up for. I don't feel like I deserve anything."

Watch video of the gifting here.

2. This has been a trying week for the Mentor Public Schools district.

The district had to put one school building on lockdown and evacuate another this week.

The good news is, ultimately, nobody got hurt.

On Tuesday, a man was arrested during an incident that started as an argument over a child's custody at the Dr. Jacqueline Hoynes School building, which houses the Cardinal Autism Resource and Education School.

The man, Armand Dinardo Jr.. faces to weapon charges because he brought a gun and a machete onto school property. (He has a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Also, he was never inside the school building.)

Then, on Wednesday, students, staff and faculty evacuated Mentor High School after a bomb threat was found written on a bathroom wall.

Police searched the school and, after finding the building was safe, allowed everyone back inside. The search took about 30 minutes.

The 16-year-old boy who is suspected of writing the threat was arrested and charged with making false alarms, criminal damaging and inducing panic.

3. Mentor Planning Commission unanimously approved permits for both a Burger FI restaurant at 8748 Mentor Ave. and an indoor shooting range at 6240 Tin Man Road during its meeting Thursday evening.

The commission also approved the restaurant's and range's respective preliminary site plans.

4. Finally, the Lake Humane Society is in desperate need of dog and cat food after a donated, infested bag of open food contaminated most of the food on the shelter's shelves.

Click here for specifics on what they need.