Cop pleads innocent to menacing, violence

By SARAH POULTON
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- Boardman Police Sgt. Nick C. Levinsky pleaded innocent to charges of aggravated menacing and domestic violence at his arraignment Tuesday.
Levinsky, 50, of Griswold Drive, arrived early and was seated next to a fellow Boardman police officer. He used a soft voice and stood less than a foot away from Judge Joseph M. Houser of the Mahoning County Court during the proceeding.
Levinsky's wife, township Trustee Robyn R. Gallitto, was not present in court.
Gallitto has said she contacted police Dec. 11 after threats were posted on the Internet. She said she filed for divorce from Levinsky on Nov. 17.
Levinsky waived his right to a speedy trial and requested a trial by jury. His attorney, Marty Yavorcik, also requested his trial be moved to a different venue because of his position on the police department.
"He's a Boardman police officer," Yavorcik said. "It's a potential conflict of interest."
Judge Houser granted all of Levinsky's requests. His trial will be scheduled at a later date in county court in Canfield. There was no additional bond set.
Levinsky posted a 2,750 bond Thursday to be released from the Mahoning County Justice Center.
Reported threats
According to a police report, Gallitto stated she discovered threatening messages had been posted about her on the message board of the Web site for Democrats of the 17th and 6th Districts.
The first message stated, "Gallitto is a dirty mob b---- and should be shot in the forehead like a mobster."
The second message stated, "R.G. a .308 cuts through flesh like a hot knife through butter."
Gallitto said in an interview Tuesday she was disturbed about the comments. She said a lot of people go through divorces and she doesn't understand why this is happening.
"This started as a personal matter turned public," Gallitto said.
Gallitto said she commends the Boardman Police Department for following protocol and acting professionally under what she imagines would be awkward circumstances. She also said the monitors of the message board have been very cooperative.
Mark Belinky, one of the message board's four monitors, said that after he read the messages he contacted Boardman police with the information he had.
"We're concerned about the threatening nature of the post," Belinky said. "We cannot say who they came from, but we did what we felt was appropriate."
Belinky added that the threats were removed from the message board once the police gathered the information they needed.
spoulton@vindy.com