New court date set for arraignment in case involving Hiram Council Member

The Kent branch of the Portage County Municipal Court. Lyndsey Brennan/The Portager

Hiram / Local government

New court date set for arraignment in case involving Hiram Council Member

- Wendy DiAlesandro

Facing first-degree misdemeanor assault charges stemming from an alleged mid-May incident involving two village firefighters, Hiram Council Member Chris Perme has a new court date.

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, but on June 24, visiting Municipal Court Judge Mark Frost ruled that Perme must appear in person for his arraignment. Frost set the arraignment date for June 30, but, citing a June 27 “serious medical event” that resulted in Perme’s hospitalization, Leach requested a continuance, aka postponement, until July 2 “at the earliest.”

The court set Perme’s new arraignment date for July 29.

Wendy DiAlesandro

Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.

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