Mentor officer killed in hit-skip identified; suspect pleads not guilty

Brian A. Anthony, 24, of Kirtland, was arraigned June 25 on charges of leaving the scene of an accident and tampering with evidence in connection with a fatal hit-and-run crash June 24 in Mentor.

Anthony pleaded not guilty under the direction of attorney Hector Martinez.

The third-degree felony charges each carry up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Mentor Municipal Court Judge John Trebets declined to set bond for the suspect based on the severity of the case.

Additional charges are forthcoming, pending blood alcohol content test results, Police Chief Kevin Knight said.

A police department court officer had sought a $5 million bond, alleging that Anthony was the “proximate cause” of death of Mentor Patrolman Mathew Mazany, 41.

The traffic stop was initiated by officer Maryann Chaloupka at 12:41 a.m. on Route 2 just east of Route 306 for an equipment violation. It was determined that a passenger in the vehicle had a warrant for arrest from another agency.

Mazany provided backup and was standing outside Chaloupka’s vehicle about 1 a.m., when he was struck by a dark-colored, late-model Jeep Cherokee. He was transported to TriPoint Medical Center in Concord Township where he was pronounced dead.

Chaloupka was not injured. The occupants of the detained vehicle were transported to TriPoint with minor injuries and were treated and released.

Based on some partial plate information obtained from the in-car camera, the police department was able to use technology and social media to check for similar vehicles in the Lake County area. While checking with a possible vehicle owner in Kirtland, police received a phone call from a citizen who noticed a Jeep with damage parked in the Mentor Lagoons Marina. The citizen had also seen the police department’s still photo of the vehicle.

Officers were able to determine that this vehicle was the same one owned by the Kirtland resident. The resident advised that their 24-year-old son was using the vehicle and had not come home the previous night.

The father was contacted by his son, and his father — a retired firefighter from another community — encouraged him to turn himself in to the police at the marina. The suspect was taken into custody at 9:02 a.m. June 24, using Mazany’s handcuffs.

Anthony kept his head down most of the time prior to the June 25 court proceedings, burying his face in his hands at one point as family members softly wept nearby.

Martinez noted that there are multiple law enforcement officers and firefighters in Anthony’s family, and that he is a Lake Catholic graduate and with no felony convictions.

His stepfather, a Mentor firefighter, was the lead paramedic on the fatal call. He found out that his stepson was the suspect a few hours after he got home from his shift.

“He is utterly devastated,” said Ante Logarusic, Mentor’s community relations administrator.

The court officer said Mazany’s family didn’t wish to make a statement. Anthony went to a friend’s house rather than report what happened, the officer said.

He told police he didn’t stop because he didn’t know he’d hit anything, Knight said.

This is not the first incident between Anthony and Mazany. Anthony was cited by the patrolman in 2012 for a signal violation, according to court records.

The 14-year veteran of the force leaves behind a son, a brother, father and former wife Lisa Mazany, with whom he remained close, officials said.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been determined. Information will be posted on the Mentor Police Department Facebook page as it becomes available. The department asks that the media respect the family’s request for privacy at this time.