Mayor issues statement about speakers

VW independent staff

Van Wert Mayor Ken Markward has issued a statement, after a Van Wert Municipal Court jury found a man not guilty of criminal damaging and criminal mischief charges.

Municipal Court records show Joe Jared, a former city council candidate, was acquitted of the misdemeanor charges on Friday. He was charged after unhooking a pair of speakers on a pole outside of his business/residence in the 100 block of W. Main St. last October and again in January. He admitted during a council meeting that he had disconnected the speakers.

The speakers are owned by Main Street Van Wert and pipe music throughout the downtown area, generally between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Markward issued the following statement Saturday morning:

“The outdoor speakers owned by Main Street Van Wert (MSVW) on the pole near 113 W. Main St. have been turned off since mid-January, pending the outcome of a criminal trial related to those speakers.

The trial has concluded, and the jury found the defendant not guilty.

My interpretation of the jury’s verdict is that the City does not have the right to use speakers near a building if the owner resides in the building and does not want the speakers.

In the near future, those speakers will be removed from that pole.

In conjunction with MSVW, the City will now consider how to handle the variety of possible conflicting future requests (for example, if a resident wants the speaker, but the owner does not).”