Home alone and defenseless, thanks to Akron police

August 28, 2004
Akron Beacon Journal

West Akron resident charged in incident at door of her home

A West Akron woman is accused of pointing a gun at a saleswoman who knocked on her door.

Police say Kelly Maurer scared the solicitor, but Maurer says she wasn't threatening anyone and only took the loaded 9 mm to the door because she was afraid for her safety.

Maurer was charged with misdemeanor aggravated menacing for the encounter Thursday at her home in the 1200 block of West Sunsetview Drive.

She also faces a misdemeanor child endangering charge because police say they found the gun in close proximity to her 5-year-old daughter.

Maurer, 37, is free on bond. Her daughter has been placed with relatives, said Summit County Children Services officials.

The evening of the incident, Maurer was home alone with her daughter. Her husband was out of town.

"She felt that it was necessary for her to be armed under the circumstances,'' said Maurer's attorney, Lawrence Cook. "She had several incidents in which her security lights had gone off for no reason in the middle of the night. She was somewhat frightened.''

One startling event from earlier in the week involved a strange man who showed up at her door asking her to help him pray for his dead relatives, Cook said.

When the solicitor came to her door, Maurer did answer with her gun, but she didn't step outside, Cook said.

"It very quickly became apparent to her that this was merely salespeople doing their job,'' he said. "As soon as she saw that's who it was, she told them she was sorry and that she was not interested.... There were no threatening words.''

Police say the solicitor, a 19-year-old woman from Indiana, told officers she was afraid that Maurer was going to shoot her.

The solicitor could not be reached for comment. It isn't clear what product she was trying to sell Maurer.

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