Recordpub.com - 3 sought in gunpoint robbery in Kent

By Dave O’Brien

Record-Courier staff writer

Kent police are seeking three suspects in an armed robbery of two Kent State University students near the campus early Saturday morning.

The incident occurred shortly after 2 a.m. in the parking lot of the Silver Oaks Apartment complex off Loop Road near the KSU campus, according to a Flashline campus safety alert message sent Saturday to the KSU community.

The victims reported being held up at gunpoint by three suspects, who were driving in a gray, four-door Ford Contour.

Neither of the victims were injured, according to the Flashline message.

The suspects are described as:

• A white male, 6 feet tall and thin,

• A Hispanic male, approximately 5 feet, 9 inches tall,

• A black male, 5 feet 9 inches tall and thinner than the Hispanic male

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Kent Police Department at 330-673-7732.

According to FBI statistics, KSU’s Kent campus is considered one of the safest university campuses in the Midwest. However, Saturday’s incident is one of a number of very public crimes involving students as victims or occuring on or near campus:

• Christopher Kernich, a 23-year-old KSU business student, was severely beaten last weekend in an off-campus assault on East Main Street. Two Akron men are in custody and charged with felonious assault. Kernich died Saturday.

• A series of armed robberies took place Aug. 30-31 on and around the KSU campus. Two were reported on The Esplanade walkway that crosses campus, and a third at Eagles Landing Apartments on Morris Road. The victims were all reported to be KSU students.

Cedric P. Harden, 18, of Richmond Heights, and Benjamin J. Clevidence, 23, of Loudonville, were eventually arrested, charged and later indicted on four counts each of aggravated robbery in connection with the Aug. 30 robberies. Harden’s trial is set to begin Tuesday in Portage County Common Pleas Court in Ravenna, and Clevidence’s to begin on Dec. 1.

It is unknown if a third suspect, described as light-skinned or possibly Hispanic, has been identified or arrested in connection with the incidents, or may have been involved in Saturday’s incident.

The Kent Police Department reported 20 robberies in the city in 2008, 11 in 2007 and 24 in 2006. Those numbers do not include on-campus incidents.

The Flashline message also urged students, faculty and staff to be alert when out at night. Security aides are available for escorts across campus between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. by calling 330-672-7004. Blue-lighted campus emergency phones also may be used to reach security personnel or police.

Other tips for safety include walking in groups; keeping doors, windows and automobiles locked; mark valuables with a personal identification number; keep your keys ready when walking to your vehicle and never leave keys unattended in a vehicle’s ignition.

16.	Posted by wasamattau November 23, 2009
	"The guy who killed the Aurora cop had a concealed carry permit and did so with a registered firearm." - onesmallvoice With over 40,000 CHL's issued in Ohio you pick the "selected incident" to suit your argument. There isn't firearm registration in Ohio BTW, so since you know so much who was his firearm registered with? I also would like to know which of the 30,000 gun laws on the books you consider lax? Take a guess how many of the 30,000 gun laws criminals abide by. You support gun laws that only place restrictions on law abiding members of society. To address your yee haw macho posturing comment and guns only escalate violence, what proof do you have of this? I have many published examples that prove otherwise. You would be surprised how many older ladies that carry handguns who are willing to defend themselves from thugs that see them as easy targets. The one thing you come close to being correct about is if an armed robber has a gun to your head it is too late, most people who carry however have awareness to what is going on around them. I am not saying carrying a weapon will guaranty your safety as a matter of fact I would rather give up my cash than shoot someone, but in a world where thugs have no regard for life and even shoot at cops I'll improve my odds of making it home safe by carrying a semi-auto with a spare mag.