BROOKFIELD — A former Brookfield policeman and Trumbull County sheriff’s deputy started a 30-day jail sentence Friday on a charge of grand theft.
Peter J. Pizzulo, 46, of Howland, pleaded no contest to the charge for allegedly starting a fundraising organization to teach the dangers of drugs and alcohol, and then pocketing most of the money. Pizzulo was a sergeant with the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Department prior to his resignation in November.
Pizzulo was granted work release to maintain his construction job. He must pay $8,500 restitution and is not allowed to work in law enforcement or security.
Sheriff Thomas Altiere asked the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation to investigate Pizzulo and another deputy, Anthony Leshnack, after he determined they had converted funds to personal use.
Leshnack, 41, of Girard, Ohio, pleaded guilty to the same offense, and will serve his 30-day jail term in November.
Pizzulo was found guilty Aug. 19, 1993, by Judge John M. Stuard for including a false statement in an affidavit used to search a Davis Street, Masury, home for drugs. He was a Brookfield detective at the time the warrant was obtained but had left for the sheriff’s department by the time of the trial. Stuard sentenced Pizzulo to a $500 fine, and Altiere suspended him for 60 days as a result of the conviction.
