Niles mayor’s bid for a protection order under review after testimony concludes
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WARREN -- Niles Mayor Steve Mientkiewicz's hearing to seek a protection order against Niles resident and former mayoral candidate George "Geo" Kuriatnyk adjourned Wednesday, and the court will now further review the matter before making a final determination.
Magistrate Michael Harlan heard witness testimony and will determine whether Mientkiewicz's bid for a permanent protection order against Kuriatnyk will be granted at a later date.
Mientkiewicz was represented by Canton-based attorneys Mel L. Lute Jr. and Kendra L. Barabasch. Kuriatnyk was represented by local attorney Aaron Meikle.
Mientkiewicz took the witness stand first and said in 2023 he noticed Kuriatnyk's behavior began to "escalate," and he became "aggressive" to the point where the mayor said the former mayoral candidate took "menacing stances against me."
At a March 2023 Niles City Council meeting at Niles Middle School, the mayor said Kuriatnyk posed a physical threat.
"He did get in very close proximity to my face and was very argumentative and combative and that led to an officer at the middle school being motioned to separate us," he said.
Criminal charges of third-degree intimidation and misdemeanor aggravated menacing were filed against Kuriatnyk on April 8, stemming from an incident that occurred at the March 2024 meeting at the Niles Senior Center. That case has since been bound over to Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.
The police report shows charges were filed following the March 20 city council meeting with court documents stating that Kuriatnyk made direct threats to the mayor. According to the report, Kuriatnyk told Mientkiewicz there would be "consequences for his actions" and that Kuriatnyk would "die for his family" and "take people with him" while repeatedly stating that law enforcement wouldn't be able to stop him.
The incident led to a temporary civil stalking protection order that prohibited Kuriatnyk from being within 500 feet of Mientkiewicz.
"I was fearful, taken off guard (by) the threat and again that had never happened in our previous dealings with George so it was one of the first times that I felt threatened or fearful of some sort of physical altercation," Mientkiewicz said.
Kuriatnyk explained that he was there talking about the mayor's alleged actions toward an associate of his son's that operates a church. Kuriatnyk said the city has threatened to demolish the building that houses the church.
Kuriatnyk said the associate has had a medical emergency that Kuriatnyk partly attributes to being the mayor's fault.
Niles 3rd Ward Councilman James Sheely said he was "concerned" about Kuriatnyk's behavior that night after encountering him in the bathroom. He also said the remarks the defendant made caused him to be concerned for the mayor's safety.
Sheely said he found Kuriatnyk in a darkened bathroom with his head against the wall. When Sheely asked if Kuriatnyk was OK, Sheely said the defendant gave him a strange look. Sheely said he had "never seen Mr. Kuriatnyk like that before."
The 3rd ward councilman said the encounter prompted him to ask Niles police Officer Shawn Crank to stick around for the meeting after telling him what he had witnessed.
Crank testified that Kuriatnyk was exhibiting "bizarre" behavior, unlike previous exchanges. In this instance, Crank said Kuriatnyk seemed to be in "emotional distress."
After the meeting, Crank said security measures were put in place to ensure a police officer was present at all meetings and metal detectors also started to be utilized as a result.
Fellow policeman James Reppy testified that the measures were created by Niles police Chief Jay Holland.
Both officers expressed a belief that Kuriatnyk posed a threat to the mayor.
Kuriatnyk said after seven years of going to council meetings, he's had every chance to intimidate someone and added he has no intentions of scaring anyone.
Clarifying why he was in the bathroom, Kuriatnyk said the motion sensor shut off while he was in there trying to calm himself after he threw up.
Kuriatnyk said the comments he made at the March meeting were directed toward Robert Marino Jr. and nobody else on the stage.
Niles 1st Ward Councilman Doug Sollitto testified about text messages, which according to court documents say Kuriatnyk made physical threats by planning to "take people out" and "eat the last bullet."
Sollitto said the messages didn't make him fear for safety, but instead he was personally concerned about Kuriatnyk.
Those messages were requested by a Niles investigator in furtherance of an investigation into Kuriatnyk from the March meeting, Sollitto said.
Later on, referencing those messages, Lute asked Kuriatnyk to clarify comments about being willing to "die to defend your family."
Kuriatnyk said, "Well if an armageddon situation ever began or zombies, I'd protect my family from whatever I can. If you have a family I'm sure you'd do what you have to do to protect your family."
The attorney then asked, "What about a statement about you eating the last bullet?"
Kuriatnyk explained that he meant the statement in reference to "pulling the trigger" on an investigation with the Attorney General's office, alleging the mayor had been "going against" him and his family, which extended to people he's involved with, not to a threat of violence. Describing himself as a "movie buff,' he further explained the line came from the 1987 movie "Lethal Weapon."
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