ELYRIA, OH — An intoxicated man was arrested in the early morning hours of July 25 after lighting a cigar inside a gas station, in full view of the employee, and then casually walking off with the store’s lighter.
According to a police report, officers were dispatched to the GetGo at 559 Midway Blvd around 3:26 a.m. for a report of an unwanted person who had allegedly mentioned a firearm. Witnesses told police the man had said something along the lines of, “I don’t have a gun — you have a gun.”
When officers arrived, they found 32-year-old Lorne Mach walking in the parking lot. He matched the description provided by dispatch: a white male wearing sunglasses, a gray shirt, and dark shorts. Officers noted that Mach had slurred speech and the strong odor of alcohol on his breath.
Store employees told police that Mach had been causing a disturbance inside, harassing a customer eating a hotdog near the café area and yelling at another man by the drink coolers. Then, in front of the employee, Mach reportedly picked up a lighter from the checkout counter, lit a Black & Mild cigar, put the lighter in his pocket, and walked out of the store with the cigar still lit.
When confronted by officers, Mach denied taking the lighter and began emptying his pockets. A sergeant patting down his right side found the lighter and removed it. The store declined to press theft charges but requested that Mach be trespassed from the property.
Because of his level of intoxication, disruptive behavior, and lack of a safe place to go, officers noted that his mother was not answering her phone, Mach was placed under arrest for disorderly conduct while intoxicated. He was taken to the Lorain County Jail, where he will remain until he posts bond or appears in Elyria Municipal Court.
The entire incident was captured on officers’ body cameras.