Man faces charges for Sunday, Monday incidents in Austintown

AUSTINTOWN — A Canfield man faces charges in two separate township incidents from Sunday and Monday.

James Wetzl, 31, Highmeadow Drive, Canfield, is charged with theft for Monday's incident. He later was charged with criminal mischief for an incident that took place Sunday.

Police received a call early Monday that a resident was followed home on Idaho Road by a man driving a gray Volkswagen and he was currently parked in the street and standing outside his car yelling, the report said.

Police said they tracked the vehicle to a nearby street and identified the driver as Wetzl.

Wetzl told police he followed the person home because he didn't like the way the person was driving, the report said. During the traffic stop, police said they observed two unopened items on Wetzl's passenger seat.

He told police he purchased them from Walmart, 6001 Mahoning Ave., but could not provide a receipt, the report said.

Police contacted a Walmart employee and who confirmed those two items, valued at $211.56, were missing.

When taken into custody, Wetzl told police he suffers from a mental condition, and began making suicidal statements, the report said.

Early Sunday, police received an anonymous call that someone was vandalizing a vehicle in the parking lot at 4843 Westchester Drive, the report said.

Police found Wetzl at the scene, who was kneeling at the rear tire of a Chevy Malibu elevated on a jack in the parking lot, the report said.

Wetzl told police he was checking the lug nuts on his friend's vehicle, the report said. The vehicle's owner was unable to be located and one of its lug nuts was removed, the report said. Wetzl was not charged with criminal mischief initially, but was issued the charge the following day after he was taken into custody for alleged theft, the report said.

While in custody, Police said that Wetzl stated: "[G]ood thing you're fingerprinting me, because you will need those prints when they find my body."

He was taken for medical observation his suicidal statements and emotional state, the report said.

Wetzl's court date is set for Oct. 18 at 9 a.m.