The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Trial date set in officer’s death
Kirtland man accused of killing Mentor officer in hit-skip
A new trial date is set for the Kirtland man accused of striking and killing Mentor police officer Mathew Mazany in a hitand-run crash.
Brian Anthony, 24, has a jury trial scheduled to begin March 11 in front of Lake County Common Pleas Court Judge John P. O’Donnell.
Attorneys held a conference in O’Donnell’s chambers Oct. 17 to set dates in the case. They’re next scheduled to meet Dec. 19 for a hearing on motions to suppress filed by the defense.
Anthony was originally set to go to trial Sept. 17, but his attorneys asked for a continuance, which was granted.
Mazany, 41, was struck and killed June 24 by a dark-colored Jeep that fled the scene while he was providing backup to another officer for a traffic stop on state Route 2 around 1 a.m.
Based on some partial plate information obtained from the in-car camera, the Mentor Police Department was able to use technology and social media to check for similar vehicles in the Lake County area.
Anthony is facing second-degree aggravated homicide for Mazany’s death.
A person who had seen the police department’s photo of the suspect’s vehicle, noticed a Jeep with damage parked in the Mentor Lagoons Marine and called officers. They traced it to a Kirtland resident who said that his son (Anthony) was using the Jeep and had not come home the previous night.
The father was contacted by his son and encouraged him to turn himself in to the police at the marina. Anthony was taken into custody on June 24.
Anthony is facing second-degree aggravated homicide for Mazany’s death.
He also faces second- and third-degree felony charges of failing to stop after an accident as well as misdemeanor charges of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse or a combination of the two; and failing to proceed with due caution, and/or failing to change lanes when approaching a stationary public safety vehicle displaying emergency lights.
He has been held in the Lake County Jail since June. His bond was originally set at $1 million with a 10 percent cash option. His attorney Richard J. Perez argued before O’Donnell in a July 31 hearing that Anthony’s bond was excessive based on his charges.
Perez sought to lower Anthony’s bond to $150,000, and O’Donnell ultimately reduced the bond to $750,000 with a 10 percent cash option.
Anthony has remained in the jail in lieu of bond payment.