Written plea allows Pavlik to avoid court appearance today

Written plea allows Pavlik to avoid court appearance today

Canfield

Former middleweight boxing champion Kelly Pavlik avoided court today by having his attorney file a written not guilty plea on his behalf.

Pavlik, 29, was charged Wednesday with operating a vehicle while impaired, failure to control and leaving the scene of an accident.

The incident began when a homeowner in the 3900 block of Sugarbush Drive called police to report that two men on ATVs — one ATV being red and one larger green one — had hit a lamppost and telephone pole in his yard and driven away. The homeowner identified Pavlik as one of the men.

Pavlik was scheduled to appear this morning for arraignment in Mahoning County Area Court in Canfield. His attorney Damian Billak filed a notice of appearance, allowing Pavlik to waive his right to appear in court.

His pre-trial hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Jan. 13.