Lorain man who prevailed over City Hall ban now subject of civil stalking order

A Lorain man battling the city of Lorain in court over his ban from City Hall is now the subject of a civil stalking protection order barring him from contact with a city official he had an altercation with last month. Lorain County Common Pleas Magistrate Laura Dezort on March 12 granted Lorain Safety/Service Director Rey Carrion a civil stalking protection order, or CSPO, against Aaron Knapp of Talbot Lane. Knapp is under orders to stay at least 500 feet away from Carrion and can't go to Carrion's workplace, home, business or school. One exception to the order is public meetings in City Council chambers, where Knapp "must sit in the last row of the public gallery and abide by all terms of this order," Dezort wrote. A further hearing on the civil stalking protection order is scheduled for March 27 in Judge Christopher Rothgery's courtroom. It is a different ban than one Knapp successfully fought to overturn in court earlier this month, though with warnings from two different jurists about his behavior. Common Pleas Magistrate Barbara Butler on Monday granted Knapp a temporary restraining order overturning his ban from Lorain city property. Her ruling followed a March 11 hearing and legal filings by Knapp and attorneys for the city. A licensed social worker and self-described investigative journalist, Knapp is not an attorney but is representing himself in court in that case. Knapp alleged that Carrion assaulted him, closing a door on him after a Feb. 16 City Council meeting. Video showed and eyewitnesses described Knapp trying to enter a hallway outside City Council chambers where Chronicle-Telegram reporter Carissa Woytach was interviewing Carrion. Woytach reported that Carrion tried to close the door when Knapp tried to enter the hallway and interrupt the interview. She reported that Knapp blocked the door with his foot, which Knapp testified was injured. Carrion and Knapp had words but were separated by Councilman Tony Dimacchia, D-at Large. Knapp then followed Carrion, Dimacchia, Mayor Jack Bradley and Police Chief Michael Failing out of City Hall, yelling obscenities and insults after them as they left. Knapp was banned from City Hall the following day, then filed for a temporary restraining order to overturn the ban. Knapp recorded the incident on video, which city attorneys used as evidence against him at the March 11 hearing. On the video, Knapp said he was going to "f**k these people up," apparently meaning city officials. Butler ended the hearing early, saying she found Knapp's behavior on the video concerning and questioning whether it might have risen to the level of a crime. She also suggested she would be willing to grant the city or city officials a CSPO and that she would remove herself from the case if they requested one. Common Pleas Judge Chris Cook denied Knapp's request to have Butler removed from the case. On Friday Knapp filed a request to pause or "stay" the case until the Ohio Supreme Court could rule on the matter. A hearing on a permanent injunction in the TRO case is March 31 in Cook's courtroom. Knapp is a former candidate for Lorain City Council's 6th Ward and has been a party in several legal actions against the city of Lorain and Lorain County officials. Cook, who also denied requests by Knapp and the city for sanctions against their opponents, further wrote that he had concerns whether Knapp was getting improper outside legal help on his case, which could result in legal consequences. Knapp's filings "do not appear to be the work product of a non-lawyer," he wrote. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.