AKRON
Beacon holiday hours
AKRON: The Beacon Journal Customer Service Call Center is open from 7 to 10 a.m. on Monday. Regular hours of operation of 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. will resume on Tuesday.
The Public Service Counter inside the Beacon Journal is closed Monday. Regular hours of operation of 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. will resume on Tuesday.
Officer cleared in shooting
AKRON: The Summit County Prosecutor’s Office announced Friday that an Akron police officer was justified in shooting and killing William R. Lemmon in September.
On Sept. 25, Officer Brian Armstead shot Lemmon after an aggravated robbery at Bista Brothers Asian Market, 582 N. Main St. Lemmon, found behind a nearby building, matched the description of one of the robbery suspects.
Lemmon refused to comply with officers, screamed obscenities at them and said they were going to have to shoot him.
Lemmon placed his hand in his front pocket and made a sudden move toward the officers, so Armstead shot him. Lemmon later died at the hospital.
“The officers believed Mr. Lemmon had a weapon and felt threatened when he lunged at them,” said Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh. “Officer Armstead acted within his authority and was legally justified when he shot and killed Mr. Lemmon.”
CUYAHOGA FALLS
Church project gets funding
CUYAHOGA FALLS: The Ohio Historical Society’s historic preservation office has awarded a $30,000 matching grant to help secure and repair the steeple of Pilgrim United Church of Christ.
The oldest church in Summit County, it was founded in 1834. The steeple has been leaking for about five years. It will take about $220,000 to renovate the feature.
The state organization awarded grants to seven projects in six communities, which also included $13,000 for Alliance to start the process of putting downtown on the National Register of Historic Places, and $6,079 to Massillon to hire a consultant to update guidelines used by the city’s Design Review Board.
Ravenna
Boy surrenders to police
RAVENNA: The Metro SWAT Team and police responded to a domestic incident that escalated when a male juvenile pointed a handgun at his parent and refused to come out of his house Saturday, police say.
The Ravenna Police Department responded to a domestic incident in the 600 block of South Meridian Street at 5:06 p.m. The juvenile and parent were reportedly arguing, but when police arrived, the juvenile fled the scene.
The juvenile returned to the scene as officers checked the area for him. He refused to exit the house, and since he was considered armed and it was unknown if others were in the house, the Metro SWAT Team was activated along with additional officers and deputies from the Portage County Sheriff’s Office.
The boy surrendered at about 6:40 p.m., and a handgun was recovered.
No one was injured. The incident is being investigated. Anyone with additional information about the incident can call the Ravenna Police Department at 330-296-6486.
State news
Family trip ends in arrest
SANDUSKY: Ohio troopers say parents who had been drinking let their 15-year-old son drive some 125 miles on a family trip to Cedar Point amusement park, but their ride ended before they got there when he was stopped for speeding.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol says a trooper stopped their Dodge Caravan going 83 mph in a 70 mph zone Saturday morning near Vermilion. The driver told the trooper he didn’t have a driver’s license or permit. The trooper reported that the father in the front seat had been drinking as had the mother, sitting in the rear with their 12-year-old daughter. He said they were obviously impaired.
The father was in jail Sunday on a child endangerment charge. No attorney information was available. Children services has been notified.