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Mayor Carty Finkbeiner and two top police officials canvassed a North Toledo neighborhood Monday.

Their visit came one day after an 88-year-old woman was assaulted in her home near where another elderly woman was killed this month.

“There actually had been three incidents over there in the past 30 days,” Mr. Finkbeiner said. “All of them somewhat similar in that elderly people were being preyed upon and all of the incidents took place within a block and a half of each other.”

The mayor said he ordered police to increase patrols of the neighborhood and to work with residents on a Block Watch program.

“There is reason to be suspicious of someone in the neighborhood passing on information of elderly people or someone who is living in the neighborhood and knowing firsthand of people living in this neighborhood,” Mr. Finkbeiner said.

James Page, right, visiting at his mother’s North Toledo home with friend Terry Bell, says he stops by regularly to check on his mother’s safety.
( THE BLADE/JETTA FRASER )

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The mayor said the May 1 layoff of 75 police officers would not make it more difficult to increase the patrols.

“According to police Chief [Mike] Navarre, there is as much manpower on the streets this afternoon as we would have had a year ago at this time,” he said.

Police are looking for a man who broke into the home of Anna Slandzicki in the 3300 block of Mulberry early Sunday morning.

Deputy Chief Don Kenney said Ms. Slandzicki was awakened by a noise at about 1 a.m. and went to the basement to investigate. There, she saw that a window had been broken.

“When she confronted him she struck him with a phone and tried to get him out of the house,” he said. “He then punched her in the face, grabbed her car keys, and tried to steal her car.”

The assailant, who was described as a light-complexioned black male, 5 feet, 4 inches or shorter, wearing a white T-shirt and a dark hooded sweatshirt, attempted to take the car but fled on foot when the car’s alarm went off.

Deputy Chief Kenney said forensic evidence was collected from Ms. Slandzicki’s home.

Mr. Finkbeiner yesterday spoke to three people in the 3300 block of Mulberry, but not Ms. Slandzicki.

“One person was concerned about lighting, so the mayor is going to contact Toledo Edison and try to get the lights turned on, and another was worried about the high traffic of juveniles from outside a convenience store on the 2100 and 2200 blocks of Mulberry,” Deputy Chief Kenney said.

Ms. Slandzicki lives near the home of Kenneth and Frances Fox. Mrs. Fox, who was 88, was slain and her husband, 74, was critically injured in their home by an intruder earlier this month.

Mrs. Fox died as a result of blunt-force trauma to the head. Her husband survived the attack and called for emergency help on the afternoon of May 5. He was unconscious for several days before being able to call for help, police said.

The couple’s home had been ransacked. Their front door showed no signs of forced entry and the back door was ajar, police said.

Mrs. Fox’s death was Toledo’s eighth homicide this year; three have occurred since the city’s May 1 layoff of 75 police officers because of a budget deficit.

Deputy Chief Kenney said detectives are continuing to investigate the murder and also have forensic evidence from that crime.

Along Mulberry and Pearl streets, where security company signs dot the lawns, residents are keeping a closer watch on their neighbors. Porch lights burn day and night; dogs bark behind reinforced front doors where blinds remain drawn around the clock.

Some residents are taking extra safety precautions. James Page, whose mother recently moved into the neighborhood, plans to get her a shotgun. “I want to make sure my Momma is safe,” he said yesterday as he sat on the front porch of his mother’s home.

The neighborhood looks quiet and peaceful.

“Looks, they say, can be deceiving,” said Mr. Page, who said he’s particularly alarmed by criminals who target elderly people.

The recent spike in criminal activity could be related to the downturn in the economy, he said.

“It could be because of the police layoffs. It could be someone who would do it anyway, someone who rides by and sees elderly people taking care of their yards. I would not be surprised if it’s someone they know.”

Years ago, he recalled, the North Toledo neighborhood was a different place. After getting permission, a kid could pluck a plum or a peach from trees in someone’s yard. Today, he said, “you do not trust anyone who comes in your yard.”

Some residents said police layoffs are having a less than positive impact on the neighborhood.

Ray Fox, 15, said he and his friends avoid walking through the neighborhood at night, and Andres Rojas, 13, said crime likely will continue until “we get the police back.”

There was no mention of bringing back police when Mayor Finkbeiner went to Donna Young’s door yesterday afternoon. Ms. Young didn’t bring up the subject, figuring it wouldn’t do any good, but she said she gave the mayor some suggestions on how to improve safety in the neighborhood.

Ms. Young, 34, who bought her house on Mulberry two years ago, said she told the mayor to light the night. “I told him our street lights do not work,” she said shortly after meeting with the mayor. “I told him the lights come on for five or 10 minutes and then go off for hours.”

She said the mayor apologized to her for the recent crimes in the area and said he would have someone come out in the next day or two to repair the lights. She said he asked if she would take a lead in the neighborhood’s Block Watch, but she declined. She said she’d be willing to assist.

She and Laura Grace, 38, leave their porch light on day and night, and just below their light is a “Beware of Dog” sign.

Their dog Sadie, an intimidating blend of boxer and pit bull, patrols the place, and they have a security system.

Just after Mrs. Fox was slain, a group of thieves stole several alarm signs from front yards in the neighborhood, Ms. Young said.

Ms. Grace predicted “a lot of people will leave Toledo” in the wake of police layoffs. She grew up in the north end, and said she has never seen it like this. “This is really bad. They’re breaking into homes where there are old people. It’s just crazy.” She’s been thinking about leaving the neighborhood, but she and Ms. Young don’t want to let anybody push them out of their home. But, they agreed, if the crimes escalate, they’re leaving.

Kim Smith, a neighbor of Ms. Slandzicki, said a Block Watch meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday at a nearby park to talk about what residents can do to protect themselves and their homes.

Ms. Smith said Ms. Slandzicki is a retired seamstress who tells stories about children ice skating in a flooded field near the Sland-zicki home. “That is how long she’s been here,” said Ms. Smith, who said her neighbor is putting bars on windows and is getting a security system.

Ms. Slandzicki’s house has been for sale for a year, said her son Tom, who was mowing the grass at his mother’s home yesterday. He said his mother, who did not want to talk to The Blade, is fine.

“Everything’s fine,” he said. When asked about injuries his mother sustained when the intruder was punching at her, he said, “She ducked.” His mother, described as tough and independent, has lived in her home on Mulberry for more than 50 years, he said.

It was the second time in recent weeks that his mother’s house was broken into. On April 30 she reported to police that someone stole $21 and her wallet from her home overnight. Entry apparently was gained through a rear window.

“Usually the neighborhood is pretty quiet,” said Ms. Smith. “Usually we do not have this trouble.”

Six weeks or so ago, crime was minor, she said, such as kids breaking into cars and swiping a buck or two in change.

And now, she said, “this is murder. This is assault. This is something different. I do not know why this is going on. I just want it to stop.”

Staff writer Mike Sigov contributed to this report.

Contact Janet Romaker at:jromaker@theblade.comor 419-724-6006.

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