Did parole authorities fail to closely monitor Koliser?

If he weren't the suspect in the killing of a police officer, Martin L. Koliser Jr.'s brushes with the law probably would not be of great public interest. But given that Koliser has been charged in the ambush killing of Youngstown Patrolman Michael T. Hartzell, his record warrants scrutiny.
And as a front page story in last Sunday's Vindicator revealed, there are serious questions about the criminal justice system's handling of this individual. The one that sticks out like a sore thumb, prompted by comments from an individual who has known Koliser for some time, is this: Did the suspect's parole officer fail to closely monitor his activities?
Businessman David Bohla, who tried to help Koliser over the years, told The Vindicator that the parole officer did not check to see if Koliser was working or attending school, as he was supposed to do.
"If his parole officer had called, I would have told her he wasn't working for me and wasn't going to welding school," Bohla said. "If that woman had done her job, he would have been back in prison."
Differing versions
But John Renner, a case review analyst with the Adult Parole Authority, disagrees with the businessman's version of what occurred. Renner insists that the parole officer made more than the required contacts with Koliser's employer, Quaker Manufacturing in Austintown. He also said the officer was aware of the parolee's enrollment at the trade school in New Castle.
But a spokesman for Quaker Manufacturing said Koliser never worked there, nor was he supposed to. And an official at the trade school told the newspaper that Koliser did not complete the courses. Bohla contends that he flunked out because of poor attendance.
Given the differing versions of Koliser's life before the April 29 shooting in downtown Youngstown, we believe a formal inquiry is justified.
The Ohio Parole Board should determine whether Koliser simply knew how to work the system, or whether he was treated too leniently by those responsible for making sure he did not violate his probation.
One issue that must be addressed, seeing as how it was raised publicly by Bohla: Did Koliser persuade his parole officer to not cite him for a drug-test parole violation by claiming that his return to prison would interrupt his schooling?
In other words, did the parole officer give Koliser a pass?