Macedonia Police Reports: Officer Assaulted, Child Endangerment Case Among Recent Arrests

Violent Crime

Aug. 31: Officer punched during domestic dispute at Walmart parking lot. Joshua Edward Williams, 22, of Bedford Heights, struck Officer Joshua Pappadakis in the face during what began as a routine escort to help recover personal property. Williams became increasingly hostile when Kayla Skylar Goczo, 22, brought police to retrieve keys from him. Williams made multiple threats, telling the officer “hey f@k n@#a stop talkin to me” and “you gonna get yo a@* punched on my momma bro.” When backup arrived and ordered Williams to the ground, he responded “I ain’t getting on no ground” before fleeing through the parking lot. A Taser deployment failed before Williams was tackled, but he managed to punch Pappadakis before being subdued by multiple officers. Williams faces felony assault, obstructing official business, resisting arrest, menacing and disorderly conduct charges through Stow Municipal Court.

Drug-Related Arrests

Aug. 28: Woman concealed crack pipe during jail booking. Satana I. Kent, 55, of East Cleveland, attempted to hide drug paraphernalia in her body cavity while being processed on an outstanding theft warrant. Despite jail staff detecting the object during routine searches, Kent repeatedly denied having contraband, claiming it was “a tampon” and later “just part of her coochie.” After continued questioning, Kent finally admitted to concealing a crack pipe internally and removed it herself. She admitted using the pipe to smoke crack cocaine. Kent was charged with obstructing official business and drug paraphernalia possession in addition to the original warrant.

Impaired Driving

Sept. 6: Mother arrested for OVI with 4-year-old in vehicle. Melinda Marie Kainec, 37, of Macedonia, was found intoxicated with a young child in the back seat of her Ford Explorer at an establishment on Freeway Drive at 2:44 a.m. Kainec initially claimed she had “one White Claw” at a football game but later admitted to drinking “a gin and tonic” at the establishment. Video footage revealed her drinking alcohol inside the vehicle while the child was present and driving around the parking lot while consuming alcohol. After failing field sobriety tests, Kainec repeatedly refused to enter the patrol car, requiring three officers to place her inside. She refused a breath test and was charged with OVI, resisting arrest, obstructing official business and child endangering. The child was released to grandparents.

Sept. 8: Cleveland man registers high BAC on Interstate 480. Jay Todd Hillsman, 38, was arrested for OVI after being stopped for driving 80 mph in a 65 mph zone at 10:33 p.m. Hillsman failed field sobriety tests and admitted having “a couple of drinks but was not drunk.” His breath test registered 0.162%, more than twice the legal limit. Five passengers, including minors, were transported to a safe location for alternate transportation. Hillsman faces charges through Stow Municipal Court.

Aug. 31: Woman found unresponsive in vehicle at Wendy’s. Branda Trina Flowers, 36, of North Randall, was discovered in the driver’s seat of a running Dodge Hornet with the vehicle not in park. Officers used entry tools to access the vehicle. Flowers claimed she was “coming from a club in Cleveland called Masari” but failed all field sobriety tests. During testing, she “continuously stated that she was not driving” despite surveillance video showing her driving into the parking lot 39 minutes earlier. She refused a breath test and was charged with OVI and refusal through Stow Municipal Court.

Aug. 30: Two separate high-BAC arrests. Samuel Jeffrey Matuch, 24, of Munroe Falls, was clocked at 95 mph on Interstate 271 and registered 0.122% BAC after admitting to “two drinks earlier in Cleveland” and “smoking marijuana earlier.” Nathan Alexander Burns, 24, of Cleveland, was found after a possible crash and registered 0.173% BAC. Burns claimed he had “a can of Cutwater” but later changed his story to “two Cutwater drinks.” An unopened 4-pack was found in his vehicle. Both face multiple charges through Macedonia Mayor’s Court.

Retail Theft

Sept. 9: Out-of-state theft attempt at Home Depot. Elena Alexandru, 38, of Baltimore, Maryland, attempted to steal $125.75 worth of merchandise including paper towels, trash bags, propane and a rug. When confronted by loss prevention, Alexandru and companion Ghita Miclescu, 36, of New York, claimed they “did not attempt to take anything” and were “traveling back home to New York from Toledo.” Alexandru was arrested and charged through Stow Municipal Court.

Sept. 6: Major theft scheme at Home Depot involves nearly $4,000. Timothy S. Ballard, 30, of Brooklyn, New York, and an unidentified accomplice used empty mop bucket boxes to conceal $3,849.47 worth of electrical outlets and other items. The accomplice escaped in a Kia Carnival minivan with Florida plates tracked by Flock cameras. Ballard was charged with fifth-degree felony theft.

Sept. 6: Multiple Walmart theft arrests. Christopher M. Smith, 47, of West Salem, was arrested for concealing $271 worth of merchandise in his pockets despite being previously trespassed from the store. Separately, Cierra Michelle Brown, 26, of Cleveland, was arrested for not scanning $82.63 worth of items at self-checkout.

Sept. 2: Makeup theft at Walmart. Julia Mary-Margaret O’Grady, 31, of Northfield, concealed three makeup items worth $15.91 in her purse and admitted to the theft after being read Miranda rights.

Aug. 31: Repeat offender strikes again. Ramon Ismael Alatorre Gonzalez, 37, of Bedford, was arrested for skip-scanning items worth $10.65, his third theft arrest in recent months involving similar price-switching schemes totaling over $87.

Aug. 31: Flooring theft at Home Depot. James D. Palsa, 67, of Sagamore Hills, was recognized by loss prevention from previous incidents and arrested for concealing $141.63 worth of flooring and other items. Palsa told officers he “took the merchandise to work on flooring at his daughter’s house.”

Aug. 29: Barcode switching scheme at Walmart. Demonte Toreze Merriweather, 38, of Garfield Heights, purchased glue and returned to attach lower-priced barcodes to weight sets worth $218. He fled when confronted but was intercepted by officers.

Sept. 5: Two women arrested for self-checkout fraud. Delesha Rashay Reese, 34, and Courtney Kai Ryan Harris, 25, both of Bedford, placed $52.93 worth of merchandise in bags without scanning at Walmart.

Other Incidents

Sept. 6: Golf ball damages Elizabeth Lane residence. Joseph Michael Vitu, 43, reported window damage from Windmill Golf Course with no way to identify the golfer responsible.

Sept. 2: Traffic stop yields weapons charges. Naisha Chanuty Gardner, 46, of Macedonia, was stopped for equipment violations and found to have a suspended license and no required interlock device. A loaded .38 Smith & Wesson revolver was discovered in her vehicle during inventory. Gardner, who told officers she had no weapons, was prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior convictions including aggravated burglary and drug trafficking.