GENEVA-ON-THE-LAKE — A killed kitty is at the center of a hot debate about speeding cars and police protection.
Natasha Nolan says speeders deliberately struck her cat twice Monday as it walked across University Drive and calls the problem, “a terrible, ongoing situation.”
Nolan heard screeching tires and realized her cat, Blue, had been struck by an oncoming vehicle, she said.
“I ran outside and watched as the car turned around and ran over Blue again,” Nolan said. “I couldn’t believe it.”
Nolan said speeding cars are a big problem on University Drive, which is a shortcut to the village “strip” from Austin Road.
“People drive up and down this road so fast and we complain and complain and complain with no help,” Nolan said.
Police Chief Tim Bruckman said officers are doing all they can to curb speeding throughout the village, but patrolling every road every day isn’t possible.
“We have provided extra patrol in the University Drive area,” Bruckman said. “Some citations were issued, but not what I would call an abundance of citations by any means.”
Nolan said she felt slighted by officers as she cried over the loss of her cat.
“Basically all the police officer said was, ‘What do you want me to do about it?’” Nolan said. “I feel they are more interested in protecting the people that are on the strip versus the people whole live here year round.”
“What if this had been a child that was killed? I am so grateful that it wasn’t, but it could happen and I am afraid that it will happen,” she said.
Bruckman said he sympathizes with Nolan’s loss and will continue to spread police attention throughout village streets.
“It is a tragedy when anything dies and I am a real animal lover,” Bruckman said. “But the reality is that we can’t be on every street 24 hours a day seven days a week. We try, we really do, to provide as many services and as much protection as we can, but I’m not even sure if we could have saved a loose cat on a public street.”
Local News
GOTL woman says police lax on speeders
- Local News
-
-
Sports, academics to come together
SPIRE Institute will expand its educational base and accept international students into its sports performance programs through a partnership with the Andrews Osborne Academy, Ted Meekma, SPIRE management team member, announced Wednesday.
-
Grand Valley sixth grader wins Ashtabula County Spelling Bee
James Elliott, a sixth grader at Grand Valley Middle School, clinched his win of the 29th annual Ashtabula County Area V Spelling Bee by successfully spelling the words “physique” and “daffodil.”
-
Conneaut Chamber lauds top citizen, ‘Champions’
Nicholas Iarocci, Conneaut’s 2011 Citizen of the Year, needed plenty of gulps of water to complete his acceptance speech Tuesday night.
-
Conneaut’s unpaved roads will get priority status in 2012
Secondary roads in Conneaut will get the lion’s share of attention from the Public Works’ Department this year, said City Manager Tim Eggleston.
-
Felony charge filed in robbery
An Ashtabula woman who police said grabbed a woman’s purse inside a Conneaut supermarket late Monday afternoon faces a felony charge in Conneaut Municipal Court, according to reports.
-
Ashtabula County building projects readied for bids
Up to four improvement projects for county-owned buildings are being lined up for bids in the next month.
-
City of Ashtabula looking for new auditor
Six candidates have applied for city auditor, which City Council President J.P. Ducro IV says he hopes to fill by the end of March.
-
Red Cross holding breakfast for ‘Community Heroes’
The Red Cross Community Heroes Breakfast will honor 12 county residents March 3 at the Bernard Vacca Community Center.
-
New film showcases county’s scenic rivers
Ohio’s Scenic Rivers program, which protects stretches of 14 waterways — including three in Ashtabula County — is the focus of a new movie by a Dayton-based independent filmmaker.
-
Students can donate clothing to Goodwill
Many Ashtabula Area City Schools students will find themselves cleaning out their closets this week.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Sports, academics to come together
