Alverno Howse Jr.

ELYRIA — Alverno Howse Jr. didn’t mean to kill Charles “Chuckie” Howard Jr. on Aug. 19, 2009, but he did, Assistant Lorain County Prosecutor Mike Kinlin told jurors today during his closing argument.

Defense attorney Mike Camera disagreed, telling jurors his client wasn’t there. He said it was Chris Howse, Alverno Howse’s brother, who was with Howard when he was shot in the bedroom of a Taft Avenue home.

The closing arguments finished around 10:30 a.m. and followed nearly two weeks of testimony in a chaotic trial that has seen witnesses change their testimony, the judge clear the courtroom because of concerns over witness intimidation and a shouting match that erupted between a member of Howard’s family and a reputed member of the Middle Avenue Zone, a gang that Howse is allegedly a member of.

The jurors will consider two charges against Howse, reckless homicide and tampering with evidence.

AVON LAKE — Officials removed nine illegal immigrants Wednesday from an Avon Belden Road home, and they say the individuals had come from Mexico to work in a local restaurant.

The U.S. Marshals Office arrived at 571 Avon Belden Road around 9 a.m. to serve an arrest warrant for “a minor offense” to a man living at that address, said U.S. Marshal for Northern Ohio Pete Elliott.

That man, whose name wasn’t released, wasn’t home, but nine more were, Elliott said, adding two were hiding in a closet, six were inside the house and one drove up in the middle of everything.

When asked for identification by the marshals and Avon Lake police, the nine men said they didn’t have any because they were in the country illegally.

“The arrest warrant had nothing to do with immigration,” Elliott said. “You never know what you’re going to find in these types of situations. We didn’t expect that today, but that’s what today brought us.”

The marshals called U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Sandusky and asked for assistance. The men were taken into custody by Border Patrol without incident.

The house was rented two and a half years ago by a Hispanic man from neighbor Valerie Holub and her husband.

“They were quiet, kept to themselves,” Holub said. “We had no issues with them.”

Holub said they rented the house to a Hispanic man who said he was from the Carolinas and was opening a restaurant — Las Cazuelas, Authentic Mexican Restaurant — in the Landings Shopping Center at the corner of Walker Road and Avon Belden Road. There was no answer at the restaurant Wednesday afternoon.

“He said he was bringing some guys up from North or South Carolina, I can’t really remember which, to get it started,” Holub said.

Avon Lake Police Lt. Duane Streator said two Avon Lake officers assisted with Wednesday’s operation, he but deferred other questions to Border Patrol, who took custody of the undocumented workers.

Border Patrol Agent Chris Crogan said the men were taken to Sandusky for processing and a court appearance, adding he wasn’t sure what the next step for the men would be.

It was unknown in what capacity the men worked at Las Cazuelas.

Contact Alicia Castelli at 329-7144 or acastelli@chroniclet.com.

Photos by CT Photo Chief Bruce Bishop.

ELYRIA — An argument outside the courtroom where Alverno Howse Jr. is on trial for allegedly killing Charles “Chuckie” Howard last year has led to at least one member of Howard’s family being barred from the courtroom.

The “altercation,” as Lorain County Common Pleas Judge Mark Betleski described it, began as the court was preparing to adjourn this morning so that a witness — whose name Betleski has since ordered the media not to report — could refresh her memory of her prior statements to a county grand jury and Elyria police.

County sheriff’s deputies rushed to break up the dispute, which Betleski said involved minimal physical contact — a chest bump — before the two feuding people were pulled apart by family members. No one would be charged, the judge said, but he planned to ask jurors if they felt comfortable continuing with the trial after witnessing the courtroom clear as the sounds of the argument wafted in through the closed doors.

The witness had said she couldn’t recall the details surrounding the Aug. 19 shooting death of Howard, who was shot in a Taft Avenue home, allegedly by Howse.

On Wednesday, two other witnesses had to review their grand jury and police statements be-cause when they took the stands they insisted Howse wasn’t in the room with Howard when he was shot.

One of those two men — Jeris Nelson and Clyde Anderson — was involved in the dispute today and one family member of Howard could be heard complaining that the men were lying about what happened.

Assistant County Prosecutor Mike Kinlin warned jurors earlier in the trial that none of those at the home at the time of the shooting wanted to be considered a “snitch” and all were reluctant to testify.

Two people were briefly arrested earlier this week for allegedly trying to avoid testifying in the case and deputies have kept a heavy security presence around the trial because of concerns about arguments and violence between the families and friends of Howard and Howse.

The witness is expected to return to the stand this afternoon and Betleski is also weighing a request from prosecutors to clear the courtroom when a confidential informant testifies later today.

Read Friday’s Chronicle for more on this story.

LAGRANGE — The mother of a 24-year-old local man charged with an assault during a Bible study class said claims of demonic possession by fellow churchgoers documented by police are “ridiculous.”

John Andel, of LaGrange, was charged with two counts of assault and one count of disorderly conduct while intoxicated after kicking and punching a husband and wife sitting in front of him during a Bible study class Jan. 20 at LaGrange Church of God on North Center Street, police said.

“People must just be gossiping at church without knowing what’s going on,” Karen Andel said, adding she was present when the incident occurred and is worried about her son.

“We’re hoping it’s nothing serious,” she said. “He had a seizure.”

The church’s congregation is praying for John Andel, the church’s pastor, Daniel Wright, said Wednesday, adding he also disagrees with a police report quoting church members claiming John Andel “was possessed by a demon.”

“He was just having a fit, like a seizure,” Wright said. “He just started wailing, throwing himself around. I don’t think he deliberately attacked them.”

LaGrange Police Chief Daniel Moore said Andel smelled of alcohol when police arrived to find church members restraining John Andel on the floor.

Read Thursday’s Chronicle for more on this story.