Suspect charged in 3 area robberies

2/26/2005

A Jermain Drive man was arrested yesterday and charged with three of five West Toledo robberies in which four people were stabbed with a knife.

Brian Patrick Friess, 20, of 1436 Jermain was booked into the Lucas County jail on three counts of aggravated robbery pending arraignment Monday in Toledo Municipal Court. He was arrested without incident about noon at a mobile home park in Oregon.

He is accused of robbing Jackie Nagy, 33, of West Toledo as she walked to work Sunday on Sylvania and Homewood avenues, the only incident in which the victim wasn't stabbed. The robber lunged toward her, thrusting a hunting knife at her. He grabbed her backpack, yanking hard enough to cause her to fall and release the bag, police said.

Mr. Friess also is charged with the robbery Feb. 19 of Melvin Griffin of West Toledo, who was walking on Auburn Avenue at South Cove Boulevard when he swung a grocery bag containing a 40-ounce beer bottle at the suspect, hitting him in the head. At the same time, the suspect swung the knife at Mr. Griffin, cutting him in the ear.

Mr. Friess also is accused of stabbing Lorenzo Hudson, 46, in the chest Feb. 16 while he was walking in the area of Auburn and the I-475 overpass, according to arrest warrants.

He is not charged with two other attacks that police said could be related. A 17-year-old West Toledoan was stabbed three times in the back and once in the forearm when he was approached from behind by a man on Tremainsville Road near Mellwood Avenue shortly before Mrs. Nagy's robbery, police said.

The other assault occurred Monday on Auburn at the I-475 overpass. Richard Fitzwater, 53, of West Toledo was stabbed twice in the abdomen after his attacker asked him for the time and a cell phone, police said.