Disabled vet asks city to return seized weapons

A disabled veteran has filed a request in Lakewood Municipal Court to compel the police to return a cache of weapons they seized from her Edgewater Drive condominium.

In the court filing, Francesca Rice alleges Lakewood police had an employee at Edgewater Towers open her condo without her presence, consent, or knowledge.

She claims to have legally acquired the firearms during and following her military service. The collection of arms is valued at $15,000 and includes some hardcore weapons of death, including:

- SKS M-21 Sniper Rifle
- Ruger Blackhawk .357
- Sentinel Arms 12 Gauge
- Gemtech .22 LR
- Ruger Mark II .22 LR
- Antique double barrel percussion shotgun
- Springfield Arms .45 ACP
- Thompson M1928 .45 ACP Semi-automatic
- Mossberg 500A 12 Gauge Shotgun
- Valkyrie Arms M3 .45 ACP Semi-automatic
- Smith & Wesson M-686 .357
- Makarov 9mm
- Colt Model M1851 .44 Revolver

Rice’s complaint indicates she is not under any disability and has not been convicted of any offense that would preclude her from gun ownership.

The complaint also says police have not filed any charges related to the weapons, and have refused to return them to Rice without a court order.

Representatives from both sides will be in court on Thursday to discuss that matter.

Lakewood Observer lawsuit hints at ‘questionable accounting practices’

An unsubstantiated rumor posted on LakewoodBuzz.com a few weeks ago claimed that Lakewood Observer publisher Jim O’Bryan was trying to sell the newspaper without success.

The message also indicated O’Bryan was being pursued in court for $16,000 in delinquent credit card debt and owed about $10,000 in back taxes on an investment property.

Two small claims complaints filed last week against O’Bryan suggest there may be a hint of truth to the rumor.

Charles F. Birchall, Jr., of Mentor, is seeking unpaid salary of $3,000 for employment from April 1 to April 30 with AGS Software Development, Inc., the parent company of the Observer newspapers. In addition, he is seeking $1,160.82 for unpaid expenses.

In the suit, Birchall says he quit in early May “after reviewing some questionable accounting practices.” He claims multiple e-mails and a letter sent over a period of 90 days requesting compensation went unanswered.

Birchall declined to comment on the situation due to the pending litigation.

Hired to help sell the company

According to an employment letter provided with the complaint, Birchall was to work on a part-time basis to help find outside investors for an eventual sale of the business.

He was to be paid $3,000 per month, or 20% of revenue, whichever amount was greater. However, due to cash flow concerns, the compensation could be deferred until a later date.

In addition, he would receive $1,000 toward health care insurance costs and reimbursement for travel and entertainment costs not to exceed $2,000. Furthermore, he was offered a stock option representing 25% of the issued shares (250) at a price of $25,000.

He would also be included on the board of directors, which would be modified from nine members to five members.

Option to develop Mentor Observer, all Lake and Geauga Observers

As part of the deal, Birchall had the opportunity to develop the Mentor Observer at no cost and no fees for a period of six months and the right of first refusal for Lake and Geauga Observers for a period of one year.

The initial court date for Birchall’s complaints is September 14.

Tags:

This entry was posted on August 16th, 2011 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.