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HOWLAND -- A man was arrested after he was found by Howland firefighters rummaging through the kitchen cabinets of their living quarters at the main township fire station.
Police officers were dispatched about 4:37 a.m. Sunday and found a man, identified as Raymond Morgan, seated on the back of a rescue truck, according to a Howland police report.
Capt. Brian Pugh stated three firefighters were asleep on station and were awakened when they heard the door from the engine bay open and close. Pugh said when he went to check on the noise. he found a man in the kitchen.
When the intruder tried to run, Pugh ordered him to stop and to go to the fire station engine bay. The captain called 911.
When a police officer responded, the man was asked what he was doing inside the fire station. The man claimed that a couple he didn't know held him hostage the past two to three days in the bedroom of his home in the 1500 block of Niles Cortland Road NE. He said he managed to break free and ran to the fire station for help, the report states.
The man told the officer he was just trying to find food and water and found the open door, the police report states.
The officer went to the Niles Cortland Road address given by the man, but the officer was unable to contact anyone there. Also phone calls were made to the home, but no one answered.
Fire Chief James Pantalone told police he would like to file a burglary charge against Morgan, the report states.
In Warren Municipal Court on Monday morning, Morgan, 67, pleaded not guilty to the second-degree burglary felony. Judge Terry Ivanchak set $15,000 bond for Morgan, who as of Monday afternoon had not posted it and remained in Trumbull County jail. The judge ordered Morgan not to have contact with the fire department.
A preliminary hearing is set for Dec. 13.