LIBERTY — A Cleveland man arrested during a weekend traffic stop made his appearance in court Monday morning.

Tayjon Hawley, 26, pleaded not guilty to charges of falsification and obstructing official business in Girard Municipal Court.

According to the police report, an officer was on patrol in the areas of Belmont and Fairlawn avenues Sunday when he noticed a purple Dodge Durango traveling northbound. A registration check revealed the vehicle’s registration had expired as of Oct. 4, 2024, which led to the officer initiating a traffic stop.

The report states the officer made contact with the driver, a woman, asking her for her identification, and later Hawley — the vehicle’s passenger.

Hawley asked why the officer wanted to know, adding that he did not know his Social Security number and giving the name “Tayjohn Hunter,” according to the report. He said he had a valid Ohio driver’s license, but it was not on him.

The report states that negative results were returned when looking up Hawley’s information, but he received an alert for a person with an active full-extradition warrant for homicide through Atlanta, Georgia. The officer noted that the suspect with the active warrant, Daquonta Hunter, shared matching characteristics to Hawley, such as height and weight, hair and eye color and date of birth.

The report states that because of the information Hawley provided and the active homicide warrant with similar characteristics, Hawley was asked to get out of the vehicle and was detained in handcuffs.

Officers asked Hawley for his information again, hesitating to give his middle name but continuing to maintain his identity as “Tayjohn Hunter,” spelling it differently than initially presented. The report states he told officers he was arrested in Cuyahoga Falls for a weapons offense and his information should be accessible, adding he was stopped and released by officers from a different agency, too.

The report states that the other officers, who were called to the scene to assist, spoke with the woman, who maintained his identity as Tayjon Hunter. She said she and Hawley had a child together and had been living together for “a while,” with Hawley being in Youngstown for approximately a year.

However, when officers spoke with Hawley, he said he had resided in Youngstown for approximately five years, according to the report.

The officer noted that upon reviewing jail phone conversations between the woman and Hawley, she referred to him as “Quan” and, when asked if Hawley had a driver’s license in another state, the woman said possibly Georgia, adding that he had recently returned from there.

The reporting officer returned to speak with Hawley, who continued to maintain his identity as Hunter and said the name he provided was on his birth certificate and driver’s license, but did not have anything in the vehicle with his name on it.

The report states that when continuing to speak with him, Hawley made an “excited utterance” of “I don’t got no gang tattoos or nothing like that.”

Hawley was transported to the Trumbull County jail, where he was booked on a falsification charge.

The report states that the Trumbull County jail contacted Liberty police later and told them of Hawley’s proper identification. It was also revealed he had a full extradition warrant through Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court for felonious assault, assault on a police officer, carrying concealed weapons and improper handling of firearms inside a motor vehicle, as well as receiving stolen property.

The warrant also listed Hawley as having “Criminal Gang Activity.”

The woman, Alyacia Appling of Youngstown, was charged with felony obstructing justice for her involvement in concealing Hawley’s identity.

Hawley’s bond was set at $7,500, and he’s set to appear back in court Sept. 3, according to court records.