Man shot by Warren police pleads innocent

Man shot by Warren police pleads innocent

WARREN

Michael Lardis, the 79-year-old Parkman Road man who suffered at least one gunshot wound at the hands of Warren police officers Sunday, pleaded innocent Thursday morning to three counts of misdemeanor aggravated menacing.

Lardis was released from ValleyCare Trumbull Memorial Hospital on Tuesday and was served with summonses to appear for court today. He was not taken to jail.

Lardis was in a wheelchair during the hearing and was being assisted by a man described in court as his power of attorney. Judge Terry Ivanchak set bond at $20,000, which Lardis posted just after the hearing.

Judge Ivanchak advised Lardis to have an attorney with him for his next hearing, 10:15 a.m. Aug. 16 before Judge Thomas Gysegem. Lardis did not have an attorney with him for Thursday’s hearing.

Warren Police Chief Tim Bowers has said he doesn’t know much about Sunday’s shooting because the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation is handling it.

The initial police report says two officers responded to a house near Lardis’ home in the 400 block of Parkman Road Southwest because Lardis was pointing a weapon at the 33-year-old woman living there.

At some point, police fired at Lardis, hitting him.

After his hearing Tuesday, when Lardis was asked how many times he was shot and where, he declined to comment, saying he decided not to talk because he’s not knowledgeable in the law.