Police Blotter: Kent State Student Pleads Not Guilty to Assault Charge

Assault charge

A Kent State University student charged with assault by has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Brandon M. McPhail, 23, of 1668 Sassafras Court, Kent, pleaded not guilty May 2 in Kent Municipal Court to a charge of assault, a first-degree misdemeanor.

Kent Police charge McPhail assaulted Michael Szabo Jr. on April 13, according to Portage County court records.

McPhail has a pre-trial date of June 7.

Robbery arrest

Kent Police arrested a Kent man on a burglary charge May 3 who has since been indicted by a Portage County grand jury.

Joseph M. Newman, 49, of 1981 Chippewa Place, Kent, was indicted Thursday by a grand jury for breaking into a service garage for . at 1550 Franklin Ave. The burglary charge is a second degree felony.

Newman was scheduled for a hearing on the indictment Friday.

Unusual stolen items

A few odd items were reported stolen recently to Kent Police.

• A 5 foot diameter stainless steel pot, valued at $200, was reported stolen in the 1300 block of Middlebury Road May 3.
• A 4 foot tall traffic cone was reported stolen by Messer Construction in the area of East College Avenue on May 9. The cone is valued at $40.

Gadgets ranging from TVs to game stations remain popular targets for thieves in Kent.

The following items were reported stolen May 4 from a home in the 900 block of Lawrence Court: a 50-inch Sanyo flat screen TV; a 47-inch Vizio flat screen TV; a Playstation III; a Wii game console; an iPad; a class ring and a diamond ring. All the items were valued at more than $3,100.