Warren safety-service director upholds firing of Patrolman Miller

Staff report

WARREN

Warren’s safety-service director has upheld the firing of Patrolman Jeff Miller, but he won’t be asked to render a decision in the firing of Sgt. Emanuel Nites.

Safety-Service Director Enzo Cantalamessa issued a letter this week indicating that he supported the firing of Miller and said the termination did not violate terms of the contract with Miller’s union, the Ohio Patrolman’s Benevolent Association.

City officials said they assume Miller also now will appeal his firing to an arbitrator. A call to Max Rieker, an official with the Ohio Patrolman’s Benevolent Association, which represents Miller, was not returned Friday.

Miller was fired Dec. 5 after spending five days in the Mahoning County jail on a probation violation stemming from a Boardman car accident.

Meanwhile, Cantalamessa will not be asked to render an opinion on the firing of Nites, as Nites has bypassed that step and asked directly for his termination to be appealed to an arbitrator.

No date has been set for the arbitration hearing.

Nites was fired Dec. 7 after an internal affairs investigation determined that Nites attended a fantasy football draft in August while he was supposed to be on duty.

An internal-affairs investigator and Police Chief Tim Bowers also said Nites was untruthful about his actions during an internal-affairs investigation of the matter.