Man to serve 13 years

Man to serve 13 years
YOUNGSTOWN -- Antonio Griffin, 22, of Hillman Way, was sentenced to 13 years in prison Thursday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, where he was convicted earlier this week of attempted murder.
Judge R. Scott Krichbaum said he imposed the maximum sentence because of Griffin's refusal to accept responsibility for the crime, even after a jury found him guilty. Griffin maintains it was self-defense when he shot Rocky DeFrank outside a McKinley Avenue home in May 1999.
Griffin has appealed the conviction and sentence to the 7th District Court of Appeals.
Teens plead innocent
CANFIELD -- Three Canfield teen-agers pleaded innocent to criminal trespassing Wednesday in an attack June 30 on dairy cattle.
A county grand jury also is considering charging the teens, Patrick J. Lane, 19, of Dartmouth Avenue; Ryan C. Russo, 18, Squires Court; and Ryan A. Stevens, 19, of Topaz Circle, with felony vandalism. A pre-trial hearing has been set for 11 a.m. Oct. 12.
Police say they were apparently watching a movie that depicts vandals' knocking sleeping cows on their sides. They claimed to have set out to tip the cows but got carried away and admitted Monday to hitting them with a baseball bat and fluorescent light bulbs, police said.
Bond was set at $3,000 each.
Phone harassment
CANFIELD -- The brother of a teen-age boy recently charged in an attack on dairy cattle in North Lima told police he received a harassing telephone call about 7:40 p.m. Thursday referring to the case.
The Dartmouth Avenue resident told police a woman called his home and said she hoped someone does to his brother what he did to the cattle.
The victim traced the call using caller ID.
Boys arrested at church
NORTH LIMA -- Two teen-age boys were arrested at an abandoned church on state Route 164 about 7:50 p.m. Thursday after allegedly shooting passing cars with paint balls.
The boys were apprehended after Hammer, Canfield police's canine officer, located two paint ball rifles and a box of paint ball rounds hidden behind folding benches in the rear of the church, and the suspects, who were hiding in the steeple. Beaver Township police requested the police dog come to the scene to find the suspects after they failed to do so.
Police arrest 2 at cafe
WARREN -- Police arrested two Youngstown residents at the Central Cafe, 480 E. Market St.
Ethel May Smith, 50, of Mistletoe Avenue and Quinn Willis, 40, of Upland Avenue were arrested Thursday just before midnight and were to be arraigned in municipal court this morning.
They are charged with impersonating police officers and illegal possession of a firearm.
Crews clean up spill
HUBBARD -- Township firefighters and hazardous materials crews were called to clean up a polymer and fuel spill Thursday afternoon on state Route 7 in Hubbard Township.
The spill occurred about 2:30 p.m., when a tractor-trailer driven by Timothy Rys, 35, of Jonesboro, Ark., slid off the side of the southbound lanes near Chestnut Ridge and flipped onto its side, striking a sign, a telephone pole and a tree.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating. Rys was treated at Forum Health Northside Medical Center in Youngstown.
Troopers said polymer, a liquid roofing material, is not considered hazardous.
Crash victim improves
CONNEAUT, Pa. -- A 40-year-old woman injured during a weekend boating accident on Conneaut Lake that involved a Hubbard man is improving.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission in Meadville would not release the name of the 18-year-old Hubbard man who was driving a ski boat.
His boat collided with a pontoon boat operated by Allen Varner of Springboro, Pa. His wife, Kathy, remains hospitalized in Hamot Medical Center, Erie. She was moved Thursday out of intensive care. Their 9-year-old son was not injured.
Frank Parise, commission assistant regional supervisor, said the two boats collided shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday after a fireworks display. He said the ski boat, which also contained three juveniles, rounded a point and crashed into the Varner boat.
None of those in the ski boat was injured, Parise said.
Donation to mission
NILES -- Target stores of Niles has donated $1,560 to the Rescue Mission of Mahoning Valley in Youngstown.
In addition, Target employees will paint and do other maintenance work in the family services division of the mission Aug. 25.