CT photo by Bruce Bishop.

ELYRIA — Sam Mazzola pleaded not guilty this morning to a misdemeanor charge accusing him of failing to keep proper records of the exotic animals he owns.

Mazzola originally tried to enter a no contest plea during his initial appearance in Elyria Municipal Court, but changed his mind after Visiting Judge John Musson told him the legal ramifications of his plea. Instead, Mazzola will get an attorney and the case will be continued to a later date.

The Ohio Division of Wildlife has accused Mazzola — who owned the bear that fatally mauled Brent Kandra in August at Mazzola’s Columbia Township compound — of not keeping proper track of the native Ohio animals he owns.

Mazzola doesn’t deny his paperwork wasn’t in order but he said that’s because he didn’t understand the paperwork.

Kandra’s death remains under investigation.

Read Thursday’s Chronicle for more on this story.

VERMILION — Police are on the lookout for a man who just robbed the Fifth Third Bank on Liberty Avenue in Vermilion.

According to initial reports, the man, who did not display a weapon, was a white male about 25 years old. He was reported to be about 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds.

He reportedly left the bank eastbound in a dark red or maroon Pontiac Aztek. The Aztek had no front plates, police said.

The man was reported to be a maroon hooded Cavs sweatshirt and a knit cap.

ELYRIA — An Elyria man was arrested after his wife said he tried to run her over overnight, according to a police report.

Peterson

Phillip Peterson Sr., 53, was arrested and charged with domestic violence.

Police were called to Case Avenue about 10 p.m. last night and spoke with the wife, a 39-year-old Elyria woman, who told them she and her husband are divorcing but are trying to reconcile. She said she and her husband had a “date night” but that her husband was getting upset because “guys were hitting on me when we were out,” according to a police report.

She told them her husband stopped in the road in front of her apartment and accused her of “sleeping with everyone.”

She said she got mad and demanded her apartment key back, but, when he wouldn’t give it to her, she got out of the vehicle and tried to cross in front of it.

She said her husband then began “power braking” and hit her at least three times before she got away.

“Each time I would move away from the car, he would do it again,” she told police.

She said she was able to get away and bang on her door for her children to let her into the home.

She told police, “I just got out of the hospital and I was scared if he hit me I would die. All I could think about was my children who were in the house. I thought he was going to kill me.”

Another officer made contact with Peterson at his home, and he was transported to the police station. According to the report, he has a pending domestic violence case through the Sheffield Police Department.

Gwen Wright

The car belonging to Gwen Wright, the Wellington woman who’s been missing nearly a week, has been found in Peebles, Ohio, in Adams County, according to Wellington police.

According to Rich Jaffe, a reporter for WKRC Cincinnati, the car was found yesterday, and all Wright’s person items were in it.

He said a helicopter was searching the area for Wright this morning but didn’t find anything and two detectives were headed down from Wellington to assist in the investigation.

Check back with Chroniclet.com for more on this story as it becomes available.