Man charged with obstruction

WARREN — A 35-year-old bar owner who has had his run-ins with police has been charged by city police with obstructing official business.

LaShawn Ziegler, of Parkwood Drive Northwest, the owner of Benji Brown’s Bar and Grill on North Park Avenue Northwest, pleaded innocent Monday in municipal court to a charge of obstructing police.

His trial was scheduled for Dec. 7. He remains free on a $1,000 surety bond.

Ziegler was arrested about 4:45 a.m. Sunday on Summit Street after police reported he failed to use his turn signal.

Once stopped, police reported, they asked for his driver’s license, vehicle registration and proof of insurance. He began looking for the documents and then told the officers to take him to jail.

He had his driver’s license in his wallet and police told him it would have been easier for him to just give it to them in the first place.

Also on Dec. 7, he will face a hearing on obstructing official business and violating the city’s loud noise ordinance after a run-in with police at Benji Brown’s earlier this month.

Ziegler is the former owner of 77 Soul on Youngstown Road, which was closed by the city in 2004 because it didn’t have a sprinkler system or firewalls. It was also the scene of many police calls ranging from gunfire and stabbings to parking violations.

Ziegler has maintained the city is picking on him.