A Village of Hiram council member faces first-degree misdemeanor assault charges rooted in a mid-May incident that involved two village firefighters.
According to a June 2 court filing with Portage County Municipal Court in Ravenna, Hiram Council Member Chris Perme stands accused of using his index finger to shove one victim, "pushing him off balance and leaving a red mark on his chest.” He allegedly grabbed a second victim “by his shirt and shoulder and pulled him,” then "repeatedly shoved his index finger into [name redacted], pushing him off balance,” the complaint reads.
The Portage County Sheriff’s Office, which responded to the incident, lists Mason Joseph Mayoros and Adam Michael Wracher as “subjects” on its criminal case report. Hiram Mayor Anne Haynam is also listed.
According to court records, the alleged incident occurred “on or about the 14th day of May” in Hiram, at or outside village hall. The sheriff's office case report, though, states that the incident occurred on May 15. Perme was not charged at the scene, but the sheriff's office on June 2 filed assault charges against him.
Perme was set to be arraigned in Portage County Municipal Court in Ravenna on June 24, but on June 22, his attorney, Robert Leach, advised the municipal court clerk via a fax that, in lieu of a court appearance, his client was entering a plea of not guilty “to any and all charges currently pending against him.”
Leach requested that a pretrial date be scheduled.
Neither Perme, Haynam nor Mayoros responded to The Portager’s request for comment, and Wracher declined to comment.
This isn’t Perme’s only recent legal involvement. This past spring, Hiram resident Sean Fabich filed for an emergency protection order, naming himself and his partner as needing protection against the council member. In his April 16 petition, Fabich stated that Perme had “stalked, menaced and harassed” him and his partner since October 2025.
According to Fabich’s court filing, Perme had on April 9 revved his engine outside his home and yelled something unintelligible from his car. Then, on April 15, Fabich alleged that Perme had stalked and menaced him in his car, honking his horn, while Fabich was attempting to walk his dogs.
The court initially found that the events had caused Fabich mental distress and reason enough “to fear for his safety.” However, Fabich’s request for a civil protection order was denied during Portage County Common Pleas Court proceedings held April 23.
Wendy DiAlesandro
Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.