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Melfi relative pleads innocent
Reports say the man spit at and cursed officers taking him to the hospital.
GIRARD — Joseph Melfi, 36, of Girard, a nephew of Girard Mayor James Melfi, has pleaded innocent to misdemeanor disorderly conduct and will be back in court March 9 to face a felony charge of harassment by inmate.
Melfi was arrested by Youngstown Patrolman Francis Bigowsky, son of the former Girard Police Chief Frank Bigowsky. Mayor Melfi demoted Frank Bigowsky in what turned into heated arguments before the city’s civil service commission in 2008. The city and Frank Bigowsky ultimately reached a settlement on the demotion.
According to police reports, Joseph Melfi had been informed that he could not enter the Chevrolet Centre for the Saturday night Kelly Pavlik fight because he was intoxicated. Melfi became agitated, and police were called.
Several Youngstown police officers responded, including Francis Bigowsky. Reports say officers pleaded with Melfi for 10 minutes asking that he leave the premises, even offering to call him a cab but were met with resistance.
Reports say Melfi said he had a $250 ticket to see the fight, has watched every Pavlik fight and was not leaving the center property.
“Don’t you know my uncle is the mayor of Girard? I’m a Melfi,” officers said Joseph Melfi screamed in a tirade littered with expletives. “You guys don’t know who I am.”
Reports say Melfi did eventually begin to walk away but started throwing items such as personal papers, a cell phone and money. When he tried to pick up the items, he fell over and hit his right cheek and lip on the pavement, police said.
Bigowsky and other officers placed Melfi under arrest and called for an ambulance to treat his injured face. No ambulance was immediately available, however, because of two shootings and a reported rape elsewhere in the city.
According to police reports, officers transported Melfi to St. Elizabeth Health Center during which time he continued to curse at officers, threatened to have their jobs and spit blood-filled saliva at them.
Melfi is free on a personal recognizance bond. He will be back in Youngstown Municipal Court next month for trial on the misdemeanor charge and a preliminary hearing on the felony charge.
jgoodwin@vindy.com