Charges dropped in Modell grave case

Charges dropped in Modell grave case

Baltimore County prosecutors have dismissed a case against an Ohio man accused of urinating on the grave of former Baltimore Ravens owner Art Modell.

Paul Serbu, 62, of Franklin had been charged with disorderly conduct in a cemetery, a misdemeanor. A video of the incident at Druid Ridge Cemetery in Pikesville, Md. appeared on YouTube last year under the username “BrownsFan4Life.”

The charge, filed last July, was dropped Tuesday, and Serbu has agreed to appear on the radio with Modell’s son, David, to discuss what happened, said Baltimore County Deputy State’s Attorney John Cox.

Cox said he received information about “a physical condition” that Serbu has, but said it would be inappropriate to elaborate. He said he also had a number of conversations with David Modell about the charges.

“We talked about a resolution that we all felt was appropriate,” Cox said. “Mr. Modell suggested that this individual have an opportunity to apologize, and then converse with him on his radio show.”

David Modell co-hosts the “Armstrong Williams” show on SiriusXM Urban View.

Phantoms’ Parran picks Ohio State

Defenseman Tommy Parran has announced his commitment to Ohio State University following his United States Hockey League career. Parran becomes the 17th player from the current roster to commit to an NCAA Division I college or university.

Parran in his second full season in the USHL, the 19-year-old has totaled eight goals and nine assists through 86 career games.

Steelers will play in 2015 HOF game

The Steelers will face the Minnesota Vikings to kick off the 2015 preseason in the NFL/Hall of Fame Game. The game will be played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton on August 9. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m and will be televised nationally on NBC’s Sunday Night Football and broadcast nationally on radio by Westwood One Sports.

The night before the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015 will be enshrined. Two members of the 2015 class have ties to the participating clubs, Jerome Bettis for Pittsburgh and Mick Tingelhoff for Minnesota.

Three Penguins earn preseason honors

Three members of the Youngstown State baseball team have earned preseason awards by the Horizon League and national media outlets.

In a poll of the Horizon League’s six coaches, sophomore pitcher Kevin Yarabinec and senior designated hitter Jason Shirley were voted to the preseason all-league team. Sophomore outfielder Alex Larivee was a preseason first-team selection by CollegeSportsMadness.com, and Yarabinec was ranked as the sixth-best prospect in the league for the 2015 Major League Baseball draft by Baseball America.

Yarabinec is a draft-eligible sophomore right-hander who will be the Penguins’ opening-day starter on Friday. Last season as YSU’s closer, he went 2-2 with five saves and a 2.22 ERA. Shirley batted .271 with 19 runs scored and 14 RBIs is 2014, and Larivee hit .274 with 21 runs scored, 18 RBIs and seven steals.

Fitch to send eight individuals to showcase

Eight individuals and one relay team from Fitch have been selected to compete in the Spire Track & Field Showcase on Saturday at the Spire Institute in Geneva. It is an elite high school meet that is designed to give the top athletes in the state and the surrounding region a chance to compete against each other in front of many NCAA Division I college coaches.

Joe Harrington is entered in the 60m and 200m, Logan Kusky (shot put, weight throw), Dylan Latone (pole vault), Carlos Herriott (high jump, long jump), Brent Fairbanks (weight throw), Frank Geidner (400m), Jake Dorbish (weight throw), Andrew Green (3200m), Jasmine Washington (weight throw) and the boys 4x400m relay team includes Harrington, Geidner, Earl Scott and Marquis Barbel.

Staff/wire reports