Wednesday, July 21, 2004
The Florida man said the cabdrivers 'didn't put their lives on the line.'
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The $40,000 reward offered for information leading to the arrest of the man who shot Patrolman Michael T. Hartzell to death will be divided among a Florida man, an Independent Taxi driver and three former cabbies.
Martin J. Koliser Jr. shot and killed Hartzell at 2:19 a.m. April 29, 2003, as the officer sat in his cruiser at the traffic light at West Federal Street and Vindicator Square. Four cabbies looking out a window witnessed the shooting from across West Federal.
John Rizzotto, a Cadillac salesman in Clearwater, Fla., will receive $10,000. About six hours after ambushing Hartzell, Koliser called Rizzotto and they arranged to meet at a restaurant in Florida.
Koliser's friend's sister, Lisa Ferguson, is engaged to Rizzotto. It was Ferguson who put police in touch with Rizzotto from her Austintown apartment.
Not why he helped
Rizzotto rented a room for Koliser at the Knight's Inn in Palm Harbor, Fla. Koliser surrendered after police surrounded the hotel. The capture came roughly 30 hours after Hartzell was shot. Rizzotto has said the reward was not his reason for taking part in the case and, in fact, he wasn't aware of it until afterward.
"I was told I was getting the lion's share -- that was a lie. I was told 40 [thousand dollars] at first, then I was told 20 [thousand dollars]," Rizzotto said Tuesday. He said the cabdrivers "didn't put their lives on the line."
The balance of the reward, $30,000, will be equally divided among:
*Bill Sweet, who testified that he feared Koliser would come after them at Independent Taxi and hid behind a soda machine. When Sweet realized they were safe, he ran outside where the other cabbies were trying to help Hartzell. He quit that night and now does car repairs, a taxi company spokesman said.
*Jack Boos, who ran from the taxi office and reached into Hartzell's cruiser, which drifted near the island in front of Powers Auditorium, and put the car into park. Boos then leaned over Hartzell and used the officer's radio to report the shooting. Boos has since moved to New Jersey.
*Mike Girardi, who was the taxi company dispatcher that morning. He testified that when he saw the gunman walk briskly toward the cruiser, he called out, "Oh, my God, he's going to shoot that cop." He called 911 before running out to help.
Girardi, reached at home Tuesday, said he was "very shocked and very grateful," as he wasn't expecting to share in the reward.
*Timothy Haught, who also ran from the taxi office to help. He has since moved on to a job in construction.
Committee decided
In April, the reward committee -- Police Chief Robert E. Bush Jr., Capt. Robert Kane, chief of detectives, and Detective William Blanchard, fiscal officer -- recommended how to divide the money pledged by the city, businesses and residents.
The recommendation was forwarded to Mayor George M. McKelvey. The mayor said Tuesday that collection of $20,000 in private pledges should be complete this week and the reward distributed next week.
Koliser, 31, is on death row at the Mansfield Correctional Institution.
meade@vindy.com