2008 was another exciting year for the Lake County Sheriff's Office Detective Bureau. In review the Bureau worked a total of 163 cases broke down as follows:

 C                     Aggravated Robbery - 1
C                     Rape Investigations – 12
C                     Kidnapping – 1 (unfounded, false report)
C                     Assaults – 8
C                     Threats – 1
C                     Missing Person’s Case - 1
C                     Internet Crimes against Children Cases - 15
C                     Obstructing Justice Cases - 2
C                     Theft Cases – 15
C                     Receiving Stolen Property - 1
C                     Extortion - 1
C                     Burglary - 17
C                     Breaking & Entering – 7
C                     Firearms Violations - 1
C                     Identity Theft – 7
C                     Suspicious Circumstances – 15
C                     Election Fraud - 3
C                     Passing Bad Checks - 7
C                     Internal Affairs Investigations - 1
C                     Criminal Damaging - 1
C                     Recovered Property - 3
C                     Trafficking in Drugs - 2
C                     Background Investigations - 3
C                     Assist Outside Agencies - 1
C                     Pre-employment CVSA Exams - 31
C                     Criminal CVSA Exams - 6

NOTABLE CASES IN 2008

Case # 08-35642 – Involves the multiple digital penetration of a seven year old female by a 22 year old male who was a family friend named Chad Shaffer. Mr.. Shaffer was found guilty and is serving a 18 year prison sentence and is classified as a Type III sexual predator. Mr Shaffer also has a prior conviction for like and similar conduct, a prior case investigated by the Detective Bureau.

Case # 08-57446 – This is a multi-jurisdictional theft case involving three counties in which the suspect would steal checks and then deposit them into accounts and take a portion of the deposit prior to the check clearing the bank. The suspect Jason Majercik would steal checks out of mail boxes and memorize the account information and use that account to deposit the stolen checks into. This case has been referred to the Lake County Prosecutors office for review on multiple charges. Majercik has a prior conviction for like and similar conduct. The estimated dollar loss is approx. $36,000.00

Case # 08-53313 – Involves two employee’s of the Painesville Twp. Giant Eagle store who over a period of three years embezzled in excess of $205,000.00 from the store. The suspects are a one Dawn Mulneix and a Christine Waseleski. Charges are pending at the Lake County Prosecutors Office.

Case # 08-24991 – Involves a former Lake County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Officer named Adam Cleis who used his position as a corrections officer to solicit female inmates for sexual favors while working. Cleis had sexual relations with no less than five different female inmates. Cleis was sentenced to two years in prison and was classified as a Type II sexual predator.

Case # 08-44024 – Involves fraudulent election petitions being circulated for the Ohio Casino Initiative. A company called USA Consultants owned by Joe Copija was paying non-Ohio residents to collect and witness signatures of Ohio residents in a effort to gather enough signatures to get the casino initiative on the November ballot.  The company owner, Joe Copija and three of his employee’s will be facing criminal charges. This case is pending at the Lake County Prosecutors Office.

Case # 08-18297 – Involves an attempt to extort $30,000.00 dollars from a local businessman. A former employee of C&M trucking Company, Steve Telisman threatened to file a report with the Department of Transportation if he was not paid the money requested, if the money requested was paid it would “go away”. Telisman was found guilty of Attempted Extortion.

Case # 08-16513 – Involves the theft of a 2007 Volvo S-60 motor vehicle which happened to contain at the time  of the theft contained 30 boxes of heart valves valued at $90,000.00. Through this investigation the person that stole the vehicle, Michael Lipovich was identified and confessed to the actual theft.  Two additional subjects who traded the vehicle for crack cocaine were also charged for receiving stolen property. These being David Yannie and Nicholas Giardini. Likewise Cleveland Police was able to recover the vehicle from the person Yannie  and Giardini  traded it to and this person is also facing charges as well. Upon recovery the heart valves were still in the vehicle and likewise recovered.  All three have been found guilt