YOUNGSTOWN Vindy vending suspect arrested

The Poland man was arraigned on two counts of felony theft.
YOUNGSTOWN -- A Vindicator newspaper vending machine was stolen from in front of a Youngstown restaurant Thursday, the same day a man suspected in more than 50 similar thefts was arrested in Boardman.
Boardman police arrested John J. Lysowski, 35, of Blue Ridge Drive, Poland, at about 2 p.m. Thursday after he turned himself in.
He was arraigned on two counts of felony theft, one count of misdemeanor theft and one count of criminal trespassing Thursday evening in Mahoning County Court in Boardman and was released on an $8,000 recognizance bond, court officials said. A pretrial hearing has been set for Nov. 8.
Confession: Boardman Police Lt. Jack Nichols said that Lysowski confessed the thefts last week after being charged with stealing shrubs and other plants from outside a doctor's office in Boardman.
Earlier Thursday, a manager for the Mahoning Valley News told Youngstown police that a Vindicator vending machine had been stolen from in front of the City Limits Restaurant on McCartney Road. The machine was stolen between 6:30 a.m. and 2:20 p.m.
Mahoning Valley News stocks boxes and distributes newspapers from Youngstown, Cleveland and other locations to grocery and convenience stores in Mahoning County.
The machines, which are worth about $500 each, are usually destroyed when the thief rips open the aluminum casing to remove the change.
Once the thief takes the change, the machines are typically dumped in a field. Each machine weighs about 70 pounds.
Nichols said that after Lysowski was arrested Sept. 27 on misdemeanor theft and aggravated trespassing charges in connection with the doctor's office theft, he led police to where about 20 newspaper vending machines were hidden. Police said they think about 30 machines are still missing.
Three Cleveland Plain Dealer machines also were reported stolen from Austintown businesses last weekend, after Lysowski had led officers to the 20 stolen machines.
Will it stop? County sheriff's Maj. Michael Budd said that he did not expect the thefts to stop even though Lysowski has been arrested. Budd noted that other thieves have been prosecuted for stealing the machines before Lysowski.
The Vindicator has been offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for the thefts.