ELYRIA, Ohio — One man was cited and another was arrested after separately violating Gov. Mike DeWine’s stay at home order on Saturday, according to the Elyria Police Department.
On Saturday around 7:46 p.m., two officers were called to the 1800 block of Middle Avenue after dispatchers received a call from a man who said “someone set him up and they were trying to kill him” before he hung up the phone, police said.
The officers observed the man in the middle of the road, flagging down the officers. The man told officers he was the one who had called 911. He said he wore a “covert wire” for the Elyria Police Department and a drug dealer found out about it and was following him, police said.
Police said the man told officers he was walking home from a friend’s house. When officers asked the man if he went to the friend’s house to buy drugs the man said, “Maybe, I don’t remember.”
Officers reminded the man about the stay at home order in place and told him that citizens were only permitted to travel for essential reasons and that “buying drugs was not an essential reason to travel.”
The man was issued a citation for violations prohibited by the Director of Health before officers drove him back to his residence. He is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.
Earlier that day, around 4:20 p.m., officers responded to the 100 block of Bath Street for reports of a disturbance in the area. Once on scene, they discovered a man who was involved in a fight, police sad.
Officers ran the man’s information and discovered an outstanding bench warrant issued through the Elyria Municipal Court, according to police.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions and concerns, the man was simply summoned to go to court but warned that if he returned outside to fight after the officers left that he would be charged with violating the governor’s stay at home order, in addition to other charges.
Around 7:15 p.m., the officers were called back to the scene for another disturbance where they observed the man in the middle of the street arguing with others. The man had taken his shirt off and was shouting obscenities at his neighbors, according to police.
Officer warned the man to stop his violent behavior and when he failed to comply he was arrested for disorderly conduct and violations prohibited by the Director of Health.
The charges were added to the man’s existing bench warrant, police said.
You can read Ohio's entire stay at home order below:
Amended ODH Director Dr. Amy Acton's Stay at Home Order by Wews WebStaff on Scribd
