It is the season of giving and true to its spirit, Chardon Police Department was recently surprised with a $10,000 donation from a grateful resident.
It is the season of giving and true to its spirit, Chardon Police Department was recently surprised with a $10,000 donation from a grateful resident.
“Last weekend, I had a visit from a person I’m not going to name,” Chardon Police Chief Scott Niehus told Chardon City Council during its Dec. 11 meeting. “She was the victim of a crime that occurred here in the city approximately a year ago. A pretty serious crime.”
The victim’s home was broken into by a man armed with a handgun, he said.
“She was able to dial 911 and keep her wits about her and give the dispatcher on the other end really good dispatch information,” he said. “That particular night, we had three officers on. Thank goodness because this became a very chaotic scene.”
As officers approached her residence, a gunshot was fired, Niehus said, adding that police do not know whether it was fired at them.
“We would later learn this person had fired several gunshots in the neighborhood, at least one from within her house,” he said. “Subsequently, he fell off the back of the deck and lost the gun momentarily and our officers were able to capture him and get him into custody.”
The victim was very pleased with the outcome, Niehus said, adding that the suspect was recently sentenced to 13 years in prison.
“He’s going to do the lion’s share of that prison sentence, which we were very pleased about,” Niehus said.
Following the sentencing, the victim came to see Niehus with a card, which he read aloud to council.
“Thank you’s always seem inadequate in expressing my appreciation for all the help and support your officers provided to me on Dec. 1, 2024,” he read. “Their gentleness and kindness was a blessing to me. Please let them know I appreciate it and I pray for their blessings, for their protection from all harm. May God bless you all and the work you do.”
Included with the card was a $10,000 check, he said.
“Obviously, I was stunned when she handed that to me, when I read what it was,” he said. “She would like that money to be earmarked as something we could do for the officers that would help them be efficient in what they do and keep them safe.”
The officers working that night did an outstanding job, Niehus said, naming Sgt. Derek Carlson and officers Jacob Mullet and James Klima.
“They were there very quickly, they handled themselves very professionally. This was definitely a situation — if you saw the video, you saw what happened there — this could have ended very badly for everybody involved,” Niehus said. “By their immediate and quick actions, we were able to get this person into custody.”
Council passed a motion accepting the donation for the police department.
