Mentor Police Remember Fallen Comrades

Check out photos from last week's parade, service

Police Cordon Mansion Street During Standoff (Updated)

Police say a man with a gun is hiding beneath the porch of a home on Mansion Street

Mentor Police and SWAT, as well as several other neighboring departments, have cordoned Mansion Street off Center Street. Mentor Police Capt. Ken Gunsch said a man with a gun is hiding beneath a house on that block. The incident began during an argument at the nearby Mentor Square Apartments. A bystander who lives in the apartment complex, Orlando Figueroa, said two men were arguing and management called police to break it up. When officers arrived, one of the men involved in the argument ran away. The man then hid beneath a porch on a Mansion Street home, said Gunsch. Gunsch added that the man has no hostages and police are in negotiations with him to turn himself in. Dawn Argie lives nearby the home where the man is hiding. Police …

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Det. Jack Donahue and Officer Mike Toth Bid Mentor Police Department Farewell

Officers with a combined 65 years of experience offer some final advice as they retire

"I've had 34 years here and it's been fun," Officer Michael Toth said to Detective Jack Donahue on the last day before their retirement. They had been sitting in Toth's office and trading stories. "It really has been fun," Donahue said. "How many people can say they spent this much time anywhere and had fun?" Toth and Donahue retired last week from Mentor Police Department. Their tenure could be measured in combined years (65), times either of them were threatened with shotguns (three), service awards (exceptional service award for Donahue and the combat cross and distinguished service award for Toth) and Halloween costumes (innumerable, all of them Toth's). The two had very different jobs. Donahue spent the last eight years solving cases…

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Mentor Police Release Sketch of Dollar Bank Robber

Mentor Police Department is asking for tips to help them find the man who robbed the Dollar Bank Monday

Mentor Police have released a sketch of the man who robbed the Dollar Bank earlier this month, hoping someone will be able to identify him. Witnesses described the robber as a black man with a goatee in his mid or late 20s. He had a slim build and was about 5 feet 10 inches tall. He wore a green-and-gray-striped Hollister hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and black boots. The man came into the bank Monday morning and handed the teller a note, demanding money, police said. The robber did not speak or show a weapon. The teller gave the man money. Then the robber escaped in a black Ford F-150 with an extended cab. Police previously released security camera photos of the robber. Anyone with information that could help identify the robber is …

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Mentor Man Charged With Robbing Teenager

Michael Petit, 19, is accused of robbing a 17-year-old, but Petit told police the teenager stole from him, also

A Mentor man is accused of robbing of robbing a teenager Tuesday in the parking lot of Dunkin' Donuts. According to Mentor Police Lt. Ken Zbiegien, this is what happened: A 17-year-old boy from Mentor owed Michael Petit, 19, money. Petit joined the boy and his friend while they were parked in the Dunkin' Donuts parking lot. Petit sat in the back seat while the teenager and his friend sat in front. Petit demanded the $50 he was owed. Then he reached over the car and started hitting and trying to choke the boy, Zbiegien said. Petit reached into the front pocket of the boy's shorts and pulled out $195, Zbiegien said, tearing the shorts in the process. Then he left with the money. The boy reported to the police that Petit had robbed him. But …

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Joe Trimble

9:36 pm on Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Come on Toomey, he could easily be buying 400 donuts. You need to brush up on you CSI skills   more ›

Father-Son Duo Is Accused of Stealing Scrap Metal

Frank Jarusz and Alexander Muscatello were busted as they tried to load stolen scrap into their pickup truck early Sunday morning

A father-son duo from Cleveland was busted while stealing scrap early Sunday morning in Mentor. Vicon Fabrication had reported a pair of thefts earlier last weekend to Mentor Police Department, so officers set up a stakeout Saturday night. Frank Jurusz, 56, and Alexander Muscatello, 18, were arrested  and charged with theft and breaking and entering, Powers said. The lieutenant said the father and son are also suspects in the thefts that happened at Vicon earlier in the week. The duo was arraigned this morning in Mentor Municipal Court. Judge John Trebets set Jurusz's bond at $15,000 and Muscatello's at $10,000. Neither suspect could afford to pay it. Their next court appearance is scheduled for March 28. If convicted of both charges, …

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Police Find ATM that Was Stolen from Great Lakes Mall

The ATM was taken from the Mentor mall early this morning and found in Cleveland; Police have arrested a suspect

An ATM was stolen from Great Lakes Mall in the early morning hours today. A security guard noticed the Bank of America ATM by Zales jewelry store was missing about 4:15 a.m. He last checked the area about 2 a.m. and the ATM had been there, Mentor Police Lt. Tom Powers said. There was no sign that anybody had broken into the mall. Powers said it was possible – but certainly not confirmed – that someone or someones hid themselves in the mall and waited until after it closed to steal the ATM. Bank of America used a GPS locator to track the ATM to Cleveland. Cleveland Police found the ATM in a stolen van and arrested the van's driver as a suspect. Police have not released the suspect's name yet because he has not been charged with anything yet…

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Jury Makes No Decision in Erin Hendrix Case, Will Come Back Monday

The jury could not come to a consensus and will begin a third day of deliberations after the weekend

The jury in the Erin Hendrix trial was unable to come to a consensus Friday and will reconvene Monday. The jury began deliberations Thursday afternoon. They discussed the trial for 1 1/2 days but still do not have a unanimous opinion. Hendrix, 29, of Mentor is accused of repeatedly poisoning her infant daughter with lead nitrate. According to the indictment against her, Hendrix started poisoning her daughter, Hannah, when she was 5 months old and continued to do so for 17 months. Hendrix was indicted on 22 charges, including attempted aggravated murder, endangering children and contaminating a substance for human consumption or use in Lake County Court of Common Pleas. Her trial, which was presided over by Judge Eugene Lucci, stretched …

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Mentor Police Investigating Armed Robbery at Gas Station

Police looking for man who used a handgun to rob the Clark gas station on Mentor Avenue Friday afternoon

Mentor Police are investigating an armed robbery that happened about 1:30 p.m. today at the Clark gas station on Mentor Avenue. Police said a man approached a Clark's employee and followed her into the gas station's store. Then the man showed her his handgun and asked for money. The woman gave him money from the register and the man ran away, police said. The clerk described the suspect as a white man with reddish hair. He was about six feet tall and wore a dark sweatshirt and stocking cap. He was last seen running westward along Mentor Avenue. Mentor Police ask that anyone with information about the robber call them at 440-974-5760.

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