Good Old Boys Win in Portage County

If you read the Plain Dealer, your opinion of Portage County Muni Judge John Plough is of a rogue man who wages personal wars against prosecutors and destroys records before the public can see them. Charges such as these led to a hearing in front of the Ohio Judicial Center last month. He may end up losing his law license over the dust-up. Regardless, Plough is off the bench in December—he did not seek reelection.

The real story here is how Plain Dealer reporter John Ewing received the information that led to Plough’s troubles. Plough, Portage County’s former prosecutor, refused to bow to the Good Old Boy network that some say controls the region. He didn’t accept campaign donations from the politically elite. Almost immediately following his surprise victory at the polls, that same network began disseminating information to Ewing, an obituary writer sent to cover news at the far edge of the Plain Dealer’s southern readership. Some of the information could only have been relayed by other judges more in line with the local power structure.

Ewing and the Plain Dealer will undoubtedly claim victory when Plough steps down. But all they’ve really done is get rid of a judge who dared to demand timely justice, relentlessly went after drunk drivers, and built a diversion program for youth offenders.

Plusquellic Off the Hook, Yo

Don Plusquellic has made a few enemies in his 107 years as Mayor of Akron. Some of those are police and firefighters, who have faced layoffs due, in part, to the city’s out of control budget. So it wasn’t much of a surprise when we learned Akron firefighter Lt. Dennis Shumaker was the one behind the late-night 911 call that got Plusquellic pulled over on suspicion of drunken driving following a recent bar hop. What was surprising was the sight of Shumaker tucking his tail between his legs and actually issuing an apology to the Mayor a week later. This, after the mayor apparently slandered Shumaker in a weird press conference in which Plusquellic detailed a whimsical plot in which firefighters were trying to bribe police to frame the mayor for DUI. Seriously, if you’re bribing police to frame a fella, wouldn’t you aim a little higher? This is officially the oddest apology since that dude apologized to Dick Cheney for being in the way of his gun when Cheney shot him in the face.

Lawmen Breaking the Law

Something wicked happened in a little house in the country in Portage County in the early morning hours of October 7. Someone beat 33-year-old Samantha Anielski to death with a TV. Her fiancé, Mark Mann, was the one who called 911. Claims he found he like that in their bedroom when he returned home. Only, he called his mom before the police and he sounds devoid of emotion on the 911 tape. He also has a history of abusing alcohol and women. So no one blamed Portage County officials when Mann was quickly arrested and charged with her murder. The first sign of something amiss, though, came when County Prosecutor Victor Vigliucci asked for a ridiculous bond of $2 million dollars. The kid couldn’t afford half that and it appeared to be a little bit of kabuki theater.

Then, the Record Courier, Portage County’s local daily, discovered that Anielski’s brother-in-law was assistant county prosecutor Steve Michniak, who works in the criminal division, and Mann’s own mother also works for the county. Never has there been a case that so clearly calls for change of venue. But apparently, justice takes a back seat to publicity in Portage County: Mann is still set to be tried there.

Sayonara Matt Patrick!

Matt Patrick, the blowhard co-host of Akron’s WKDD, strangely and abruptly retired last week. No clear explanation has been given for his departure, and his “good-bye” message on the station’s site is awkwardly vague: “After spending countless hours, and many a tearful night, my family and I have decided that the time has come for me to step away from this microphone,” he writes. Patrick made a few enemies in recent years as he took to the airwaves against local teachers, single-handed killing at least one Akron levy. Apparently misfortune is only good fodder when it’s happening to someone else.

Big Brother Reaches Into Retirement Funds in Summit County

Attention county employees! Check your retirement accounts! Some astute Summit County employees got a shock recently when they checked in on their retirement accounts set up through the County Commissioners’ Association of Ohio Deferred Compensation Plan—a 401K-type program available to county workers. One employee at Weaver Learning Center discovered someone had raided their mutual funds and redistributed the money into several more aggressive accounts and tacked on a strange new annual fee, all without permission. When they called to complain, their money was quickly transferred back into their preferred funds, but this employee wonders how many aged retired account holders have yet to notice. “Whoever is in charge of the benefit program over there should be fired,” the employee says. “This is just really weird. It seems like theft to me.”

Don’t Miss These Events!

Attention Masochists: Some of the guys at BuzzBin magazine are inviting you to a half-marathon hike through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, called “Extreme Rivers and Ravines”. Everyone is meeting up at the Pine Lane Trailhead at 9 a.m. on Sunday, November 15. No fee or registration required. Personally, I like my rivers and ravines less extreme, but whatever.

Rob Zombie at the Akron Civic? Hells yeah! Check it out November 17 at 7 p.m. It has to be better than Halloween II, right?