Word on the street has it there was a home invasion within our community in the past week. This serves as a reminder to be cautious and secure your home. I am sorry to hear of this, and don't have hard facts as to what really occurred, but apparently the family was home when the "break in" happened; sometime between 7 and 11 pm.
I would advise residents to lock their doors and keep outdoor lights on. A classic after-Christmas tip off for burglars is boxes outside from expensive Christmas gifts; be aware of this when disposing of your packaging.
In previous winters we have experienced minor vandalism within the park. On multiple occasions our vehicles have been opened and change was taken from the ashtrays. No one was hurt, but it goes to show a larger crime could easily occur. These were reported to the Mayor in the past, though there isn't much to be done about it other than increased patrolling, community awareness, and perhaps increased lighting.
In the instance in the past week, I heard about it through neighborly word of mouth, thanks to our police chief asking a neighbor to spread the word. Keep your neighbors aware, and be cautious throughout the winter.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
Jason Gross Appeal Hearing
This June officer Jason Gross was terminated from the Minerva Park Police Department. Due to the circumstances surrounding his termination, he filed an appeal with the Village, the hearing of which took place in September.
There were several issues with both the manner in which this hearing was conducted and things stated during the hearing. As such, Jason Gross has filed further legal action against the Village Council and the Mayor, the next step in receiving the justice he hopes for. And in my opinion rightfully deserves.
Details on these cases can be found at the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Website, here:
http://fcdcfcjs.co.franklin.oh.us/CaseInformationOnline/caseSearch?s3TBWdZuWU57SDnV9U1x
http://fcdcfcjs.co.franklin.oh.us/CaseInformationOnline/caseSearch?k6Mb3zMJGEHCVkVyNpNx
Because of the length of these hearings, I have been unable to quickly summarize the proceedings and issues I found with the case, and I fear if I wait for the time to get this well organized too much time will pass. In fact, I wish I would have resorted to this format before the election, because perhaps there would have been some eye-opening as to how our mayor's system is currently running. I digress...
Below are links to the raw notes taken during these meetings. I will leave it to you to read through them and come to any conclusions you see in them, but I would like to highlight some points quickly.
Lynn Eisentrout presided over the hearing, a hearing appealing a decision made by her. Jason Gross's legal representation pointed out in the meeting how this was a conflict of interest and someone other than the mayor should have presided over the hearing; the President of Council being a more suitable choice in this situation. Lynn continued to preside over the hearing, regardless.
Because of officer Gross's request for a public hearing, council was prohibited from going into executive session. They did so anyway, in an executive session from 7:15pm to 8:59pm.
Unlike the rest of the witnesses, Lynn Eisentrout was allowed to hear others' testimony (accordingly, as she was presiding over the hearing) but then gave her testimony. I encourage you to read her testimony notes verbatim, I wouldn't want to misquote, but I recall a lot of "I don't recall" and a few times hearing an answer relative to "you heard what she said". Please, find it in the notes from the first night and tell us what you think.
Matthew Fenstermaker credited Jason as "one of the best officers I've seen"
He also stated that "police are allowed to lie to get what they need" "deception is used" in respect to his using recording and not specifying that there was an ongoing investigation when collecting details in the investigation. (Matthew Fenstermaker was promoted soon after the hearing took place, though the FOP was unhappy with a member representing police officers this way.)
Reprimands that Matthew Fenstermaker was directed to shred were not present in Jason Gross's employee file at the time of his firing (requested by a 3rd party by public records request) but the documents reappeared to be used in the case against him (reprimands 8, 9, and 10).
There are many, many more issues and inconsistencies but I have not collected all the notes and double checked the details. In the mean time, here they are, for everyone to see. I am not surprised at all the Minerva Park hasn't "fixed" the problems they started when they fired Jason Gross. His rights were violated more than once, first before he was fired, in the manner in which he was fired, in the way his hearing was conducted, and the way he was reinstated. This isn't the kind of thing our police department deserves, regardless of anyone's understanding (or more likely misunderstanding) of a General Order.
Personal notes from the Jason Gross Appeal Hearing dated 9/21/11
http://www.scribd.com/doc/76101762/Jason-Gross-Hearing
Personal notes from the Jason Gross Appeal Hearing Continuance dated 9/26/11
http://www.scribd.com/doc/76104364/Jason-Gross-Appeal-Closing#
There were several issues with both the manner in which this hearing was conducted and things stated during the hearing. As such, Jason Gross has filed further legal action against the Village Council and the Mayor, the next step in receiving the justice he hopes for. And in my opinion rightfully deserves.
Details on these cases can be found at the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Website, here:
http://fcdcfcjs.co.franklin.oh.us/CaseInformationOnline/caseSearch?s3TBWdZuWU57SDnV9U1x
http://fcdcfcjs.co.franklin.oh.us/CaseInformationOnline/caseSearch?k6Mb3zMJGEHCVkVyNpNx
Because of the length of these hearings, I have been unable to quickly summarize the proceedings and issues I found with the case, and I fear if I wait for the time to get this well organized too much time will pass. In fact, I wish I would have resorted to this format before the election, because perhaps there would have been some eye-opening as to how our mayor's system is currently running. I digress...
Below are links to the raw notes taken during these meetings. I will leave it to you to read through them and come to any conclusions you see in them, but I would like to highlight some points quickly.
Lynn Eisentrout presided over the hearing, a hearing appealing a decision made by her. Jason Gross's legal representation pointed out in the meeting how this was a conflict of interest and someone other than the mayor should have presided over the hearing; the President of Council being a more suitable choice in this situation. Lynn continued to preside over the hearing, regardless.
Because of officer Gross's request for a public hearing, council was prohibited from going into executive session. They did so anyway, in an executive session from 7:15pm to 8:59pm.
Unlike the rest of the witnesses, Lynn Eisentrout was allowed to hear others' testimony (accordingly, as she was presiding over the hearing) but then gave her testimony. I encourage you to read her testimony notes verbatim, I wouldn't want to misquote, but I recall a lot of "I don't recall" and a few times hearing an answer relative to "you heard what she said". Please, find it in the notes from the first night and tell us what you think.
Matthew Fenstermaker credited Jason as "one of the best officers I've seen"
He also stated that "police are allowed to lie to get what they need" "deception is used" in respect to his using recording and not specifying that there was an ongoing investigation when collecting details in the investigation. (Matthew Fenstermaker was promoted soon after the hearing took place, though the FOP was unhappy with a member representing police officers this way.)
Reprimands that Matthew Fenstermaker was directed to shred were not present in Jason Gross's employee file at the time of his firing (requested by a 3rd party by public records request) but the documents reappeared to be used in the case against him (reprimands 8, 9, and 10).
There are many, many more issues and inconsistencies but I have not collected all the notes and double checked the details. In the mean time, here they are, for everyone to see. I am not surprised at all the Minerva Park hasn't "fixed" the problems they started when they fired Jason Gross. His rights were violated more than once, first before he was fired, in the manner in which he was fired, in the way his hearing was conducted, and the way he was reinstated. This isn't the kind of thing our police department deserves, regardless of anyone's understanding (or more likely misunderstanding) of a General Order.
Personal notes from the Jason Gross Appeal Hearing dated 9/21/11
http://www.scribd.com/doc/76101762/Jason-Gross-Hearing
Personal notes from the Jason Gross Appeal Hearing Continuance dated 9/26/11
http://www.scribd.com/doc/76104364/Jason-Gross-Appeal-Closing#
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