Trumbull commissioner hit his wife’s cheek, police say

STAFF REPORT

HOWLAND — Trumbull County Commissioner Dan Polivka drove a golf cart into the side of the golf cart carrying his estranged wife, then screamed at her, threw the golf clubs belonging to her male golfing partner “onto the course,” grabbed his wife by the neck with two hands and then struck her on the cheek, a Howland police report says.

Polivka then took the cell phone of his wife, JoAnn Polivka, told her she would never see their daughter again and drove away, the report said.

JoAnn Polivka was sitting in the passenger seat of the golf cart, the side where the collision took place Friday, police said.

The report says a police officer checked JoAnn Polivka for injuries and observed some redness on her cheek but did not see any signs of injury to her neck. She refused medical treatment.

The Polivkas, who were married in 1997, were living on Country Club Drive with one daughter at the time JoAnn Polivka filed for divorce from Dan Polivka on May 7.

Dan Polivka, 46, still lives on Country Club Drive, he said by telephone Monday. He declined to comment on his wife’s allegations except to say that, “It’ll all come out in the end.”

JoAnn Polivka did not return a phone message seeking comment.

Howland police found Dan Polivka in the Howland branch of the Warren-Trumbull County Public Library on East Market Street about 1:30 p.m. Friday, about one hour after the incident took place at the Avalon South golf course, a short distance east of the library.

Polivka was asked to step outside the library and was handcuffed. Howland police charged him with domestic violence, a first-degree misdemeanor, and took him to the Trumbull County Jail, where he was video-arraigned about 4 p.m. by Warren Municipal Court Judge Thomas Gysegem. The court closes at 4 p.m.

Polivka pleaded innocent and was released on $2,500 bond a short time later. Judge Gysegem also granted a temporary protection order against Dan Polivka. He returns to court at 10:15 a.m. Sept. 17 for a pretrial hearing before Judge Terry Ivanchak.

The Polivkas have a hearing in their divorce case set for Monday before Judge Pam Rintala.

Elected in 2004, Dan Polivka is serving his second term as county commissioner. He served as Warren’s 5th Ward councilman from 1983 to 1987 and councilman-at-large from 1988 to 2004.