Man sentenced for theft

Man sentenced for theft
MERCER, Pa. -- A Youngstown man will serve four to 18 months in jail for stealing 36 bottles of cologne and other items from the Hermitage Wal-Mart store in May.
Judge Thomas Dobson of Mercer County Common Pleas Court also sentenced Timothy Esposito, 32, of Roxbury Avenue, to one year's probation after he gets out of jail. He was convicted of retail theft, a misdemeanor.
Court documents say Esposito stole the cologne, a child's booster seat, clothing and DVDs worth a total $1,408 from the store, which was at 3300 Shenango Valley Freeway, Hermitage.
Zoning denial appealed
WARREN -- A Champion man, whose request to operate a landscaping business out of a residential property at 601 Center Street was denied by the township Board of Zoning Appeals, is asking a court to overturn the decision.
Daniel J. O'Shaughnessey, doing business as O'Shaughnessey Landscape and Design, filed suit in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court. The suit says O'Shaughnessey leases the property and applied for a conditional use permit to operate the business, but was denied on Dec. 23. The suit says the decision was arbitrary, capricious and beyond the scope of authority of the board.
The appeals board ruled the request is denied because O'Shaughnessey is not residing on the premises and work on the property would take about six months to complete.
The case is assigned to Judge Peter Kontos.
Commissioner substitute
LISBON -- Columbiana County commissioners expect to be short one member when they have their mandatory reorganizational meeting Monday.
Commissioner Gary Williams, 63, recently underwent emergency heart surgery. He may return home later this week, the commissioners said.
The commissioners have to pick a chairman at the 9 a.m. meeting. Jim Hoppel has served in that position since 2002.
Hoppel, a Republican is running for the 1st Ohio House District Seat.
Tree removal, collection
HOWLAND -- The township will pick up Christmas trees through Jan. 20. Ornaments and trimmings must be removed before placing trees at curbside.
Trees can also be dropped off from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the department of public works, 3600 N. River Road.
For more information, call (330) 856-4037.
Group will tour arena
YOUNGSTOWN -- Northeast Homeowners and Concerned Citizens will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Chevrolet Centre downtown.
They will take a tour and hear a presentation from the center's program director.
Accused in purse theft
BOARDMAN -- A Market Street man was lodged in the Mahoning County Justice Center, charged with stealing a woman's purse.
Richard J. Lucicosky, 28, was arrested Tuesday evening.
A 52-year-old township woman told police that she was putting groceries into her car outside Giant Eagle, Boardman-Canfield Road, when a man, later identified as Lucicosky, asked her for the time.
When she looked at her watch, he grabbed her purse, thanked her and fled.
Police said they found him hiding in a shed on Ron Park Place and arrested him.
He also had warrants on charges of complicity to burglary and robbery. The robbery warrant stems from a November purse snatching outside another township grocery store. Lucicosky had the woman's purse with him, and contents were strewn along the path that he'd fled, police said.
Murder hearings set
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Preliminary hearings for Teandre M. DeMarco, 29, of Warren, and Michael Price, 29, of Youngstown, have been rescheduled to Jan. 18 in Lawrence County Central Court.
Both men are charged in the December shooting death of Sean Smith, 35, of West Lutton Street.
Sheila Brothers, 30, of Warren, charged with criminal conspiracy to commit robbery and fleeing or attempting to flee police, will also have her hearing at the same time. Police said Brothers was the driver in a high-speed chase that ended in a crash in Youngstown after the shooting. Charges filed against two other people in the car were dismissed, according to police.