Elyria man faces felony charge

A 23-year-old Elyria resident is facing a felony charge after a state trooper said the man possessed cocaine and marijuana, authorities said.

Xavier T. Small was charged with cocaine possession, a fifth-degree felony, operating a vehicle impaired, a first-degree misdemeanor, possession of marijuana, failure to comply, improper display of front license plate, seat belt violation and tinted windows, all minor misdemeanors, according to Ohio State Highway Patrol Sgt. Eugene Crum.

Small was stopped at 9:56 a.m. near the intersection of West River Road and Bond Street in Elyria for the illegal window tint and an improper display if his front license plate, Crum said.

Before the trooper could conduct the stop, Small ran from the scene on foot, he said.

The pursuit was short lived, however, as the trooper caught up to Small and arrested him, Crum said.

The trooper searched the car, and Small, and discovered cocaine and marijuana, he said.

Small, who is lodged at the Lorain County Jail on a $5,500 bond, has an arraignment at 9 a.m. Jan. 14 in Elyria Municipal Court.

2 accused of vending machine theft

Two Elyria residents are facing charges from an incident involving a vending machine Jan. 9 at an apartment complex in the 300 block of East Avenue in Elyria, according to a police report.

Desmond Maxwell, 38, and Heather Purcell, 27, both are charged with felony vandalism and a misdemeanor count of theft.

Officers were called to the scene at 3:20 p.m. in response to a property damage complaint.

One of the vending machines in the lobby was missing $500.

In addition, the computer program that the machine runs on sustained $2,000 in damage and had to be replaced, the report said.

In reviewing surveillance footage, at 6:12 a.m. Jan. 8, a white female and a black male were witnessed tampering with the machine, prying it open, according to the report.

The female was witnessed picking change up off the ground, the report said.

Maxwell was arrested Jan. 9 in the 800 block of Middle Avenue and is in the Lorain County Jail.

According to the report, Purcell has yet to be taken into custody.

Alleged cop shooter gets temporary lawyer

The man accused of shooting a cop during a standoff in Sheffield Lake has been granted a temporary court-appointed attorney.

According to Lorain County Common Pleas Court personnel, Martin L. Robinson, 40, of Sheffield Lake, made many wild claims at his indigency hearing Jan. 11, but said he did not have the funds to afford hiring an attorney for his case currently working its way through the court.

Prosecutors claimed he has access to up to $300,000 in funds, but were unable to present evidence to back up that claim at the hearing, personnel said.

Robinson is facing at least 20 charges including attempted aggravated murder and attempted murder in connection to the May 31 confrontation that led to the shooting of Patrolman Eugene “JR” Ptacek at his Oliver Street home.