Man charged in mailbox damaging spree near country club

WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) — A Warren man is facing charges after police say he damaged more than a dozen mailboxes along Country Club Drive in Warren.

Officers were called about 3:15 a.m. Sunday to the area of Country Club Drive SE and East Market Street SE on reports of several broken mailboxes and a suspicious man.

When officers arrived, they encountered 47-year-old Christopher Heltzel running from Country Club Drive onto Market Street, according to a police report. Heltzel was stopped and police noted he had blood on his hands, the report stated.

Police said Heltzel was “taking in circles” and appeared to be intoxicated. EMS was called to treat Heltzel’s injury, and a witness who was brought to the scene identified Heltzel as the man she saw stumbling into a yard and near the ransacked and broken mailboxes, the report stated.

In all, police saw 16 mailboxes lining Country Club Drive that were broken with mail strewn into the street.

Heltzel refused medical treatment from EMS and was taken to the Trumbull County Jail. He was arraigned Monday in Warren Municipal Court on a charge of criminal damaging, a first-degree misdemeanor. He pleaded not guilty. Bond was set at $2,500 and Heltzel was ordered to have no contact with the victims. He is expected back in court on Sept. 10.

Country Club Drive sits in what has traditionally been an affluent neighborhood on the southeast side of Warren and is adjacent to the Trumbull Country Club, which is a private club and golf course.

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