Sheriff's deputy struck by car of fleeing teenager

12/2/2000

UPPER SANDUSKY - A Wyandot County sheriff's deputy was injured yesterday when a Delaware County teenager fleeing officers in a stolen car struck him on U.S. 23, authorities said.

Deputy James Brezina, 35, of Carey, was taken to Wyandot Memorial Hospital after the crash, which occurred at 1:37 a.m., according to troopers at the Bucyrus post of the Ohio Highway Patrol.

Deputy Brezina, who joined the department in 1996, was listed in stable condition with head and facial injuries that Sheriff Michael Hetzel said were not life-threatening.

Sheriff Hetzel said Deputy Brezina and other deputies had placed stop sticks on U.S. 23 at Pitt Township Road 124 when the 16-year-old boy, who was northbound on U.S. 23, tried to evade the sticks and struck Deputy Brezina, who was standing next to his cruiser. The cruiser was totaled, Sheriff Hetzel said.

The sheriff said charges are pending against the boy, whom authorities would not identify. The chase began in Delaware County when deputies there spotted the car, which had been reported as stolen. They pursued the vehicle northbound on U.S. 23 into Marion County, where state troopers and sheriff's deputies from that county picked up the chase.

After the crash, the boy ran from the scene and was arrested a short time later by a Marion County sheriff's deputy and a trooper, Sheriff Hetzel said. The boy was taken to the Marion County juvenile detention center.

LIMA, O. -- An outbreak of viral pneumonia is blamed for the need to euthanize 38 cats at the Humane Society of Allen County last month.

Sally McClaskey, interim executive director, said yesterday the decision to euthanize the cats occurred two weeks ago when six cats died from infections.

The source of the infection has not been determined, she said. A necropsy, or animal autopsy, was used to determine that two of the six dead cats had pneumonia. The remaining cats were euthanized as a precaution.

SANDUSKY - A Perkins Township police officer will not face criminal charges in an Aug. 2 incident in which he allegedly backed into another car with a police cruiser and left the scene.

Detective Sgt. Paul Sigsworth of the Erie County sheriff's department, who investigated the accident, said a special prosecutor found that Officer John McGuire did not realize he had struck the car, driven by a woman from Waynesville, O. The special prosecutor, Cleveland-area attorney Michael Murman, filed his report Wednesday.

ADRIAN - A Hudson teenager who pleaded guilty to the armed robbery of an Adrian gas station May 29 has been sentenced to 45 to 90 years in prison.

Lenawee County Circuit Judge Timothy Pickard gave Ian Elmer Anderson, 18, credit for 187 days served.

Adrian police arrested Anderson just north of the Total gas station he held up. Officers said Anderson entered the gas station before 3 a.m. and showed a gun before taking money and fleeing on foot. Anderson also was sentenced to 85 to 240 months for an unrelated charge of home invasion first degree.

SANDUSKY - A recount of election results in Erie County has confirmed the approval of a charter change that will allow the city of Sandusky to require more of its employees to live in town.

Deborah McDowell, deputy elections director, said the charter change passed 4,427 to 4,396 in the recount. The measure appeared to have lost on election night by four votes, but the addition of walk-in and overseas ballots resulted in the measure passing, she said.