STREETSBORO, Ohio — A former Streetsboro politician and his son are facing felony charges in connection to the family’s scrap yard. Investigators say Jeffrey and Jeremiah Allen had hundreds of catalytic converters, along with stolen cars and guns in their possession.
Streetsboro Police and the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) launched a joint investigation into Allen Alloys and Iron in early 2022. In April, the agencies executed search warrants at the business and the elder Allen’s home.
“Immediately what became known was they were operating this scrap yard without a permit, without being properly licensed,” explained OSHP Sgt. Ray Santiago.
He said Allen Alloys and Iron had not had a scrap metal dealers permit since 2016.
At the scrap yard, troopers discovered 7 stolen vehicles and hundreds of catalytic converters, which are commonly the target of theft.
RELATED:Catalytic converter thefts on the rise across the US
At Jeffrey Allen’s house, Streetsboro Police investigators found 18 guns that had been reported stolen from a home in Aurora.
Both father and son were indicted Tuesday in Portage County court on dozens of charges, including receiving stolen property, obstructing justice and criminals. The elder Allen is facing 56 counts. His son is jointly charged with 43 of the counts.
“Jeff is 100% innocent of all the charges contained in the indictment. Will Rogers said, ‘All politics is local.’ This indictment is about local politics,” said Allen’s attorney Don Malarcik.
Jeffrey Allen was elected to Streetsboro City Council in 2013 for a single term, during which he served as council president and president of council’s service committee. He also ran for mayor in 2015 and 2019 against current Mayor Glenn Broska.
Malarcik claimed Allen’s business has become the target of political foes, who have called it an ‘eyesore’ and have tried to buy the property in recent years.
“The folks in Streetsboro do not like a scrap yard a half mile away from their high school. When Jeff refused to close… I think they’re trying to close him down through this indictment,” he said.
Mayor Broska told News 5 the city has asked Allen to clean up street-facing areas of the property but never tried to shut down the business.
Allen’s attorney believes his client did not need a permit for his business because he is considered a scrap metal ‘processor’ and not a dealer. Additionally, he said he had good reason for the mounds of catalytic converters discovered at the property.
“If you go to any scrap yard, you’re going to find the same type of property that Jeff had at his scrap yard - hundreds of catalytic converters that were legitimately purchased that he takes, melts down and sells to steal companies. That’s what his business does,” Malarcik said. “Jeff has thousands and thousands of cars and car parts on his property. To say that 6 pieces of a car were stolen is absolutely absurd.”
Both defendants are expected back in court soon. Portage County has requested that a visiting judge take over the case to avoid conflict of interest.
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