A Message From Prosecutor Walsh The Role Of A Prosecutor

1News from the Criminal DivisionJune 2015FROM THE OFFICE OFSUMMIT COUNTY PROSECUTORSHERRI BEVAN WALSHA Message From Prosecutor WalshThe Role Of A ProsecutorMany of you have no doubt readabout or watched the recent eventsaround the country involving policeofficers and the deaths of severalpeople. These tragic events havestruck an emotional chord withpeople on all sides of the issue.no matter who it’s for or against.”Remember, justice is blind.Crimes occur around the countryevery day. Prosecutors are the oneswho represent justice. ProsecutorsThousands have protested. Citieshadbuildingsburned,andbusinesses vandalized. We’ve seenthe images. We’ve felt the frustration, the anger. So how can we keepour community together, and makesure all voices are heard? If it canhappen there, could it happen here?That is the concern following tworecent incidents in Cleveland.People want their voices heard. Weare passionate. We protest. But theone thing we don’t do is hurt eachother. We help each other. We holdeach other close and celebrate ourvictories. We do not let troublemaking outsiders define us. Myhope is people’s voices are heard,without any violence. When peoplespeak out, solutions are found.Raceisnevertakenintoconsideration in any of our cases.We look at all the facts of whathappened. Facts do not lie. MalcolmX once wrote, “I’m for truth, nomatter who tells it. I’m for justice,convict the innocent. They must bededicated to making the criminaltrial a procedure for the ascertainmentof the true facts surrounding thecommission of the crime.” Basically,prosecutors have an obligation topresent the truth, no matter what.In my office’s mission statement, westate we are committed toupholding the laws and statutes ofthe State of Ohio. But being a prosecutor is more than that. We also striveto protect the community throughvarious programs, and work toprevent people from becomingcrime victims.are the sole voice for crime victims.In doing our jobs, we embrace thefight for victims.Each month, my office conductstraining so prosecutors get thelatest information on law enforcementand any new techniques used duringinvestigations. We continuously lookat anything that can help us do ourjobs better and get justice for victims. This is how seriously we takewhat we do.My hope is the community remainscalm and respectful following ajudge’s decision. I would hate to seewhat happened elsewhere happenhere. I know there might be angerand frustration. People are passionate,and are allowed to voice their opinions and protest. That’s what makesour country great. But please do sopeacefully.Stay safe,Former U.S. Supreme Court JusticeByron White once wrote: “Prosecutorshave the obligation to convict theguilty and to make sure they do s/prosecutorFollow us on Twitter@ProsecutorWalsh

2News from the Criminal DivisionJune 2015In The CommunityThe Summit County Prosecutor’s Office takes pride in ourcommunity and is involved in making our community abetter place to live.On May 8th, we werehonored to attend thepolice memorial payingtribute to Officer JustinWinebrenner.Officer Winebrenner’sname was added to the stone memorial outside the AkronPolice Department. His family also placed a wreath on topof the stone memorial. Itwas a touching andemotional ceremony, payingtribute to a man who gavehis life while protectingothers.We also continue ourcommitment to keeping thecommunity safe. On SaturdayMay 16, members of theSummit County Prosecutor’sOffice helped teach local GirlScouts basic self-defensetechniques, such as breakingaway from an arm grab andpaying attention to yoursurroundings. The classes were part of the Girl Scout’sCadette Summit weekendat Camp Ledgewood.A big thank you to the 40girls who took part in theevent.If you would like moreinformation about our selfdefense classes or wouldlike to schedule a class,please contact JenniferWatson at 330-643-2800or email her at watson@prosecutor.summitoh.netMy office also helps peoplesafelynavigatetheinternet. Deputy ChiefAssistant Prosecutor JohnGalonski spoke to abouttwo dozen people onSaturday May 23rd at theSafety Day for the City ofJoy Life Enrichment Center. John’s presentation focusedon cyber safety.Summit County hasmanyincredibleemployees, many ofwhom were honoredat the County’s High Point Awards ceremony. We wouldlike to congratulate three members of the Prosecutor’sOffice who receivedHigh Point Awards.Colleen Sims is anAssistant Prosecutorwith the Civil Divisionand has worked withmy office for over 14years. Annie Spitalibegan her career in theChild Support Division in 1996 and is currently a ChildSupport Supervisor. And Heaven Guest has been with myoffice since 2003 and is currently an Appellate Prosecutor.Your awards are well deserved!It was also an honor to take part in the annual SummitCounty Chiefs of Police Dogs-N-Suds event at Lock 3 onMay 20th. It was a great time and a wonderful way to kick-off the holiday weekend. All the money raised benefitedthe Mike Kallai Law Enforcement Scholarship Fund. MikeKallai was Chief of Police in Barberton for 13 years andworked for the city’s police department for 32 years,before passingaway in 2010.

3News from the Criminal DivisionJune 2015June is National Safety MonthKeeping The Community SafeJune is here, and that means warmer weather andlonger daylight hours. It also means more kids willbe outside. So a friendly reminder to please beawarewhenyou’reoutside,especially whenyou’re behind thewheel.GUILTY VERDICTSMay 2015Summer is themost dangerous time of year for kids, according toa study released by the National SAFE KIDSCampaign. In fact, the period of time betweenMemorial Day and Labor Day is referred to as the100 Deadliest Days. National statistics show thatperiod is the deadliest time for teen crashes.Congratulations to the following assistant prosecutors forobtaining convictions at trial in May:Kassim AhmedAngela Poth-WypasekNick BuzzyJustin RichardPete DalyDan Sallerson (2)Jon Hart (3)Ryan StickelElliot KolkovichColleen Sims (3)Joe Miller (2)Great Job Prosecutors!!!!Here are some alarming statistics from thenationwide report: Nearly half (42%) of all unintentional injuryrelated deaths occur during the summermonths, a 25% increase above average. Drowning is the greatest risk for children ages14 and under, 96% above average during thesummer. The majority of unintentional deaths (twothirds) from 1991 to 1996 were the result ofbike, pedestrian, motor vehicle occupant injury,falls and drowning.Remember, leave the fireworks to the experts.Setting off fireworks in Ohio is illegal. Make sureyou are aware of your surroundings, even during asanctioned fireworks display.And if you have a child who has difficultycommunicating, please make sure they are registeredwith our Take Me Home program. Take Me Home isa program offered by my office and the SummitCounty Sheriff’s Office. If a person in the Take MeHome program is found alone by a police officer, oris reported missing, the officer can access the database to identify the person and properly assistthem. For more information, contact r.summitoh.net.Tough ProsecutionsThese defendants will be locked up for a lengthy period of timethanks to our dedicated Assistant Prosecutors:Dwayne Fain, 18Dequante Moorer, 21 Sexually Violent Predator Kidnapping Rape Burglary Kidnapping Aggravated Burglary Tampering with Evidence LIFE in Prison11 Additional Years addedto previous LIFE sentenceFrederick Smith, 34David Brown, 40 Rape Aggravated Vehicular Homicide Felonious Assault DUI 17 years in Prison Maximum sentence of FiveYears in PrisonJohnnie Byrd III, 45 Food Stamp Fraud Mandatory Nine Years inPrisonDeandre Scott, 26 Aggravated Burglary w/firearm 15 Years in PrisonHelp Us Go Green!Contact Melanie Hart at hart@prosecutor.summitoh.net to receive this newsletter by e-mail

4News from the Criminal DivisionJune 2015June Top CopAkron Police Detectives Ben Surblis, Aron Hanlon, James PasheilichNominated by Assistant Prosecutor Joe DangeloThecaseinvolvingDwayne Fain is a difficultone to read about. Awoman was raped atknife-point, by a mandressed in a mask andcape.Thosedetailspushed investigators topursue every lead andfindthepersonresponsible.Akron Police Detectives Ben Surblis,Aron Hanlon, and James Pasheilichdeserve special recognition for theirrole in the investigation.It was a case where teamwork trulypaid off. It all began with the officerswho responded to the crime scene,William Culver, Patrick Didyk, DerrickJackson, and Jeremy Sosenko. Culverand Jackson had only been on theforce for a few weeks.They did an excellent jobgathering information, whichthey passed on to DetectiveHanlon. That informationhelped Detective Hanlonsearch Fain’s home, asearch which resulted inthe discovery of thebloody knife used in theattack as well as thevictim’s hair extensions.Detective Surblis met with the victimat the hospital, obtaining crucialinformation, which included adescription of what her attackerwore. That information was passedalong to Detective Pasheilich who wasable to get Fain to confess to thecrime. That was the decisive factor inresolving the case.Download The New CSEA AppDon’t forget to downloadthe new CSEA app. It’s easyto use and can helpstreamline the process forfamilies. Parents seekingchild support can quicklyfind phone numbers, accessforms, and get the agency’saddress and office hours.Plus you can find out thedifferent ways to makechild support payments.Just search CSEA in GooglePlay or iTunes.The communication between all threedetectives,aswellastheofficers who firstresponded to thescene,helpedour office seethat justice wasserved.Dwayne Fain pled guilty and iscurrently serving a life sentence. Fainwas also determined to be a sexuallyviolent predator, as well as a Tier IIIsex offender.It was textbook police work in one ofthe best investigations I have everseen.Way to go!Avery’s CornerAvery had a busyMay, meeting witha number of victimsas well as greetingnew graduates ofour Valor & DrugCourts.Avery plays a huge role inhelping victims feel moreat ease when they meetwith prosecutors andtestify in court.He recently sat with arape victim as she facedherattackerduringsentencing.Follow Avery II on Facebook AveryII