Remembering Police Officer John Utlak

 

A Meeting Leads To Murder

Niles, Ohio Police Officer John Utlak was one of two officers assigned to an undercover investigation dealing with the drug Quaalude and firearms. At about 6:15 p.m. on December 8, 1982, Officer Utlak told his partner he was going to meet some informants regarding the case. He was scheduled to meet the informants, Fred Joseph Jr., 17, and Randy Fellows, 18, in the parking lot of the Gibralter Steel Corp. in Mineral Ridge, Ohio.

After arriving at the parking lot, Fellows remained in the car while Joseph went to speak with Officer Utlak. As Joseph approached Officer Utlak, he pulled out a gun and shot Officer Utlak at close range in the right side of the head. Joseph and Fellows then robbed Officer Utlak of $400.00, a watch, his service revolver, a two-way radio and a shotgun. Fellows and Joseph then fled the state and left Officer Utlak to die in the snowy parking lot. Workers found Officer Utlak dead in the parking lot the next morning when they reported for work.

A Tip Leads To The Killers

After Fellows’ mother reported her car stolen, detectives began focusing on Fellows and Joseph. Two days after the murder, 40 police officers and sheriff’s deputies raided a home looking for the men, however the home was empty. Shortly after midnight on December 11, 1982, Joseph was arrested in Wyoming after his car was stopped by police. Eight hours later, Fellows was arrested at a Cheyenne, Wyoming motel. After Fellows’ arrest, he initially denied any involvement in Officer Utlak’s murder. He later confessed his crimes to Cheyenne, Wyoming Detective Leo Pando. Fellows told detective Pando he and Joseph planned to rob Officer Utlak. He also told the detective he knew he was an accessory to the murder of a police officer.

The suspects were returned to Ohio and, in 1982, a jury found Randy Fellows guilty of aggravated murder for killing Niles, Ohio Police Officer John Utlak. In 1983, a second jury found his accomplice, Fred Joseph Jr., guilty of one count of aggravated murder. Both men received a sentence of 30 years to life in prison.

Patrolman Utlak had served with the Niles Police Department for five years. He was survived by his parents, two sisters and step-parents.