Crime & Safety
94 Halloween Arrests by City, Kent State Police
Underage drinking charges account for more than half of arrests during annual holiday celebration
Police officers from Kent Police and surrounding departments arrested three times the number of people during this year's unofficial Halloween bash compared with last year.
A total 64 arrests were made, including four juveniles, between Saturday and Sunday by the city's police department.
Add to that 30 arrests made on the Kent State University campus by university police, and a total 94 people were arrested or issued summons on charges this past weekend.
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Michquel Penn, community resource officer for Kent State Police, said campus police only made three physical arrests but issued 27 summons between Saturday and Sunday.
Of those arrested by the city, 56 people were physically arrested and held this weekend while officers issued eight summons on charges.
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In 2011, Kent Police arrested 21 people — down from 53 in 2010.
The majority of the city's arrests, 39, were for underage drinking. Charges filed were largely for minor crimes, such as disorderly conduct and possessing an open container of alcohol.
But there were a handful of serious crimes, including for a Kent man who fired a gun in public and charges against a Warren woman for assault against a detention officer.
Lawrence R. Lacivita, 23, of 1025 Anna Ave., Kent, was charged with discharging a firearm on or near prohibited premises, a fourth-degree misdemeanor, possession of a firearm while intoxicated, a first-degree misdemeanor, and obstructing official business, a second-degree misdemeanor, according to Kent Police.
Lacivita reportedly fired a gun in the 1000 block of Lake Street at about 1:30 a.m. Sunday.
Amanda M. Hadden, 20, of Warren, was charged with two counts of assaulting a detention officer, a fourth-degree felony. The assault happened in the holding cells at the Kent Police Department early Sunday, according to Portage County court records.
In total, the city police department responded to 111 calls between Saturday at 10 p.m. and Sunday at 7 a.m. The Kent Fire Department responded to 36 calls during that same time period, according to Kent Police.
The number and type of charges issued by Kent Police break down as follows:
Adult charges Number Assault on a Detention Officer 2 Assured clear distance 1 Burglary 1 Dischargeing a Firearm on or Near Prohibited Premises 1 Disorderly Conduct 6 Failure to Disperse 2 Falsification 2 Littering 1 Obstructing Official Business 1 Open Container 3 OVI (Drunken Driving) 2 Possession of Drug Paraphernalia 2 Possession of Marijuana 4 Possessing a Weapon While Intoxicated 1 Prohibitions (Underage Drinking) 39 Public Indecency 1 Resisting Arrest 4 Warrant: Failure to Appear 2 Wrong Way 1Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.