YOUNGSTOWN Drug trial to begin for East Side gang

Two gang members are the first in the county indicted under a new Ohio law.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The opening of a trial for two members of an East Side gang is the first step onto new legal ground for Mahoning County authorities.
Darnell R. Wright, 23, of South Forrest Avenue, and Tony E. Davis, 19, of Byron Street, are each charged with trafficking in crack cocaine and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.
Jury selection began Monday before Judge Maureen A. Cronin of common pleas court.
New law: They are among 14 members of the Ayers Street Playas indicted earlier this year under Ohio's 2-year-old law against engaging in patterns of corrupt activity. The indictments were the first in Mahoning County under the law, and Wright and Davis are the first to test it at trial, said Robert E. Duffrin, assistant prosecutor.
Three others have pleaded guilty to reduced charges and are awaiting sentencing.
Defense attorneys Robert Melnick, who represents Wright, and Walter Ritchie, who represents Davis, filed motions asking Judge Cronin to dismiss the charges of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, arguing that it is unconstitutional.
Duffrin said Ohio's law is closely based on a similar statute in California, which has been challenged and upheld. Judge Cronin denied the motion to dismiss.
Defining a gang: Ohio's law, which went into effect in January 1999, defines a gang as three or more people who use mischief and crime as a primary activity; have a common name, symbol or colors; and engage in a pattern of criminal gang activity. A conviction carries an eight-year prison sentence.
Police have said the Playas controlled all drug activity in their East Side neighborhood, which is sometimes called La La Land among drug users.
Among evidence Duffrin said he intends to show jurors is a photograph showing the Playas dressed in red shirts that display the gang name. Firearms are also visible in the photo.
The indictments came after a 10-month investigation by the Youngstown Police Department's gang unit and the Mahoning Valley Drug Task Force.
bjackson@vindy.com