Medina County
Medina Court of Common Pleas
93 Public Square, Medina, Ohio; 2nd floor
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Judge :
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James L. Kimbler — (330) 725-9736 |
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Magistrate :
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Barbara Porzio — (330) 764-8736 – [email protected] |
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Bailiff/Court Administrator:
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Karen Barnes — (330) 725-9735 – [email protected] |
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Secretary:
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Linda Gerberich— (330) 725-9736 – [email protected] |
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Court Reporter :
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Leeanne Haswell — (330) 725-9739 – [email protected] |
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Court Fax Number :
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(330) 764-8791 |
Judge Dale H. Chase
Judge Dale Chase was born in Medina, Ohio and graduated from Medina High School. He holds a B.A. in International Studies from The American University and a degree in law from The Catholic University of America. Judge Chase had a private law practice from 1975 through 1987 and served on the Medina City School District Board of Education and Medina County Career Center Board of Education from 1978 through 1987. He was elected Municipal Court Judge in 1987 and re-elected in 1993, 1999, and 2005.
Clerk of Court Nancy L. Abbott
Nancy L. Abbott
Nancy L. Abbott is the first elected Clerk of the Medina Municipal Court. As Clerk of Court, Nancy is responsible for maintaining and protecting the court records and collecting and disbursing all monies payable to the court.
Prior to coming to the Medina Municipal Court, Nancy served as the Medina County Recorder for ten years and also as a Hinckley Township trustee.
Nancy L. Abbott is a graduate of the State University of New York, College at Potsdam and the University of Akron. She has also completed several quarters of computer and technology classes at Cuyahoga Community College.
Nancy has been a resident of Medina County since 1970 where she has been active in several organizations including the Medina Township Trustees and Clerks Association, Operation Homes, and Friends of the Hinckley Library. She is a board member of the United Way of Medina County and chairs the Young Children Priority One Committee for the Medina Kiwanis Club.
Chief Magistrate Charles T. Lawrie
Chief Magistrate Charles T. Lawrie has been with Medina Municipal Court since 1991. He was engaged in the private practice of law from 1986 to 1990.
He served as referee in Medina County Common Pleas Court from 1990 to 1991, and from 1989 to 1990 he was an Assistant Medina County Prosecutor. Magistrate Lawrie is an active member of the Ohio Association of Magistrates, and served as its president in 1997.
He served on the OAM’s Board of Trustees from 1992 to 2005. He has been a faculty member of the Judicial College of the Supreme Court of Ohio since 1992. Magistrate Lawrie is also an Instructor in the ABA approved Paralegal Studies Program of Cuyahoga Community College, with particular concentration on courses involving computer research and use of technology in the law office.
Since 2008, he has served on the Ohio Supreme Court’s Commission on Technology and the Courts.
Magistrate Linda A. Leggett
Magistrate Linda A. Leggett joined the court as a part-time magistrate in 2001. She was born and raised in Medina, Ohio, and is a graduate of Medina High School. In 1987, she graduated from Kent State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Finance and Real Estate. She graduated from The University of Akron School of Law in January 1991, and was admitted to the Ohio Bar in May 1991. In 1991, she began private law practice, and in 1992, she joined the firm of Reddy, Grau & Meek. She also served as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Oakwood Village beginning in 1993. In 1999, she began serving as an Acting Magistrate with Medina Municipal Court. She is an active member of the Ohio Association of Magistrates.
Magistrate Diane Dougherty
Magistrate Diane L. Dougherty joined the court as a part-time magistrate in January 2006. In 1982, she graduated from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. She graduated from The University of Akron School of Law in January 1988, and was admitted to the Ohio Bar in May 1988. Prior to graduation from law school, she worked as a paralegal with Amer, Cunningham, Brennan Co., LPA, and as a bailiff in Stark County Common Pleas Court. In 1988, she began the private law practice that she still maintains. Her private practice primarily involves criminal defense, juvenile, domestic relations, civil litigation, business organizations, and bankruptcy representation matters. From 1994 to 1999, Magistrate Dougherty served as an Acting Magistrate in the Medina Municipal Court. She is an active member of the Ohio Association of Magistrates.
Court Administrator Lori A. Henry
| Lori A. Henry joined Medina Municipal Court in 2005 as Clerk of Court. She was Office Manager with Bil-Jac Foods, Inc. from 1988 to 1991. From 1991 to 2002, she served in the Finance Department of the City of Medina. From 2002 to 2004, she served as the Administrative Assistant/Assistant Treasurer for the Buckeye Local School District. In April 2004, she was appointed Secretary to the Civil Service Commission of the City of Medina. Lori earned a B.A. in Business Administration from Baldwin Wallace College in 2000.
Lori is a member of the Ohio Association for Court Administrators, Ohio Association of Municipal Court Clerks, Northeast Ohio Municipal Clerks’ Association, the Society of Human Resource Management, and the Medina and Brunswick Area Chambers of Commerce. She became Court Administrator in January 2007. Email me Bailiff’s OfficeStaff Carl F. Medina – Bailiff, Warrant Enforcement William Saus – Deputy Bailiff – Judge’s Bailiff, Driving Privileges Patricia Lavery – Deputy Bailiff – Magistrate’s Bailiff, Driving Privileges David Rizzo – Deputy Bailiff – Service of Civil Papers, Evictions and Attachments Kimberly Province – Deputy Bailiff – General Duties, Driving Privileges Driving Privileges Warrant Enforcement Court Security |
Probation Department
(330) 723-7313, (330) 225-0217
FAX 330-723-6915
MEDINA MUNICIPAL COURT’S PROBATION DEPARTMENT MISSION STATEMENT:
We are a distinctive team of professionals committed to supporting and serving offenders, the court, and our growing community. We provide effective service to meet the needs of those we serve and to achieve the goal of offender rehabilitation. We serve the community and the justice system in a compassionate and responsible manner.
GENERAL FUNCTIONS OF THE PROBATION DEPARTMENT
Defendants in criminal and traffic cases who are found guilty of misdemeanors of the 4th up to the 1st degree (M-4 through M-1) are usually referred to the Probation Department for a presentence interview and report. These will be done prior to a sentencing hearing being scheduled. Presentence interviews are routinely scheduled for a separate appointment one to three weeks following the date of the plea or trial.
As a general rule, the probation department does not schedule individual interviews for persons convicted of 1st and 2nd DUI offenses. Persons with these convictions are directed to supply written information to the probation department in advance of their sentencing hearings which are scheduled for a later date. The written information provided by defendants is used to compile an abbreviated version of the Presentence Report for the judge’s benefit prior to imposition of sentence.
NOTE: In addition to providing background information to the probation department, 1st offense DUI defendants are directed to attend a 72- Hour Driver Intervention Program in Medina County prior to their sentencing hearings.
SUPERVISION:
The department provides monitoring of probationers at various levels ranging from non-reporting to intensive supervision. Levels are assigned at the time of sentencing, but can be adjusted as warranted throughout the probation period. The supervision division monitors offender compliance with court ordered counseling, treatment, community service, drug testing, and the like. Supervising probation officers direct probationers to various agencies for these purposes. Officers also track further criminal activity of offenders and initiate show cause or probation violation proceedings as warranted. In some instances bench warrants for probation violations are issued by the judge at the request of a probation officer.
STAFF
| Marirose Power | Chief Probation Officer |
| Molly Kafer | Presentence reports, general supervision |
| Melanie Stroup (part time) | General supervision, group reporting |
| Gene Merinar | Presentence reports, general supervision |
| Paula Foutz | Presentence reports, general supervision |
| Ivan Petrovic | Intensive supervision |
CLERICAL STAFF
| Renee Thomas (part time) | Department Secretary |
| Amy Darr (part time) | Department Secretary |
| Madeline Kiss | ISP Secretary |
LOCATION
The probation offices are located in the lower level of the Municipal Court building. Questions regarding probation procedures may be directed to Chief Probation Officer Marirose Power.
PROBATION – THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND THE SANCTION
Probation, pro-ba’-shon, n. act of proving; proof, trial; period of trial novitiate. –Webster’s Expanded Dictionary 1989
The rehabilitative community based sanction of probation seeks to restore an offender to “good standing” within the society which he has wronged by his illegal acts. In this sense it is the most hopeful of sanctions. Individual offenders must prove to be capable of correcting their behavior so as to continue a productive, responsible life in the community. Terms of probation imposed by the Court are the required, minimum standards by which the “proof” is measured. Probation officers monitor and facilitate compliance with the Court’s orders (i.e. conditions).
Probation conditions come in two forms. Standard conditions are generally applicable to all persons placed on probation and are mandated by the State statute and/or individual court policy. Standard conditions include requirements of reporting as directed, having no new offenses, and notifying the court of changes in residence or employment. Specialized conditions are imposed with careful consideration of the instant offense, criminal/traffic history and (in most instances) the social history of the individual. Specialized conditions may include required participation in treatment programs, or an order to pay restitution to a victim.
If, over a period of time, an individual refrains from criminal behavior, meaningfully participates in treatment/educational programs, and addresses all other orders of the court in a responsible and conscientious manner, he is considered to have successfully completed probation. Society and the individual each benefit from this restorative process. Those who violate probation are considered for more involved sanctions such as incarceration, which includes elements of incapacitation and punishment. These measures are taken for the protection of the community so that it may not suffer, at least for a time, from the negative consequences of any continuing antisocial and criminal behavior displayed by its own members.
Marirose Power, Chief Probation Officer
Posting Bond
If someone has been arrested and a bond must be posted for the arrested person to be allowed to go home until it is time to appear in Court, find out what type of bond must be posted and how much money must be paid.
TYPES OF BONDS:
- Surety Bond: Posted by a professional bonding company which guarantees the defendant’s appearance in Court.
- Cash Bond: The full amount of the bond set by the Court must be paid. When the case is completed, the entire amount will be refunded.
- 10% Bond: The amount required to pay is 10% of the amount of the bond. (If the bond amount is set at $5,000, the amount you are required to pay is $500.) When the case is completed, the Court keeps 10% of the amount posted and refunds the rest. (e.g, Of the $500 bond, the Court keeps $50 and $450 is refunded.)
THINGS YOU MUST KNOW:
- If you post a bond for someone and you want to make sure you (and you only) can get the money back, make sure you are named on the receipt as the person who posted bond.
- If you are not named and the receipt is written in the name of the arrested person, that person will be able to use the money toward his fine and costs and the balance will be refunded to the arrested person.
- Your money will not be refunded until the case is completely finished. This may take several months.