A Summit Metro Parks ranger is on paid administrative leave after an incident involving a senior couple on Wednesday.
The ranger, Jeffrey Axner, followed the couple's vehicle to a residence on Darrow Road and handcuffed both of them after an altercation, according to Executive Director of Summit Metro Parks Lisa King. A backup ranger was called to the scene and an Akron police officer driving past also stopped to help.
Carl Wilson, who is a senior citizen and an army veteran, said Axner forced him to the ground, handcuffed him for more than an hour, kicked his 72-year-old wife and handcuffed her.
"He grabbed me in a choke hold and brought me down," Wilson said.
The couple was charged with resisting arrest, obstruction of official business, aggravated menacing and failure to comply.
An investigation is underway and all charges against the couple have been dropped, King said. Summit Metro Parks has also asked the Akron Police Department to conduct a third-party review.
Summit Metro Parks released the following statement on Thursday about the incident:
We take this matter very seriously. Our rangers are commissioned peace officers who enforce the park district’s rules, regulations and other applicable laws to protect resources, keep visitors safe and maintain good order. We hold our rangers, and all of our employees, to a high standard of conduct. Even though this incident unfolded outside park boundaries, we expect them to live up to that standard. The public deserves no less.
