Accident victim dies

Accident victim dies
YOUNGSTOWN -- A Youngstown woman involved in a one-car accident Aug. 31 on state Route 11 near Tibbetts-Wick Road has died from injuries. April D. Armour, 28, of Scioto Avenue died Thursday. She had been hospitalized at St. Elizabeth Medical Center since the accident. April Armour's older sister Adrienne Armour, 32, of Scioto Avenue, also in the car. died Aug. 31.
Special prosecutor
YOUNGSTOWN -- John Mitchell, an assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor, has been named special prosecutor for criminal charges against James A. Philomena, former Mahoning County prosecutor. Mitchell replaces Robert A. Glickman, another assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor who had to step aside because he was recently appointed judge in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.
Philomena, 54, was indicted in June 2000 on 12 counts of bribery, two counts of perjury and one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity. He is awaiting trial. He is already serving a four-year sentence in federal prison after pleading guilty to fixing cases while he was in office.
Vacant home set on fire
YOUNGSTOWN -- Flammable material was used at 1:13 a.m. today to torch a vacant 2 1/2 story frame house at 2321 Logan Ave., said Battalion Chief James Flynn. The fire started on the front porch and did about $8,000 damage, which Flynn said is nearly a total loss. He said the house, which has been vacant for quite a while, had been set on fire before.
Hearing rescheduled
YOUNGSTOWN -- A pretrial hearing for Carlos Mendez, substitute teacher with the Youngstown City Schools charged with 23 counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, has been rescheduled for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday after his attorney failed to show up in juvenile court. Dennis DiMartino later told the court he had confused his court dates. The charges against Mendez stem from a June investigation by Boardman Township police where officers said they found a 17-year-old girl, who was listed as a runaway, living in his home. The girl was charged with being unruly.
Gas savings offer
AUSTINTOWN -- Residents looking for potential gas savings here have until Monday to review and lock into an agreement with Shell Energy that offers fixed natural gas rates for 12 billing cycles. Township officials reached an agreement with the company to provide natural gas without a contract or cancellation and switching fees. Those interested can lock into the program by logging onto www.shellenergy.com or by calling (877) 55-SHELL. Residents must provide their natural gas utility account number.
Drug trafficking plea
YOUNGSTOWN -- A 50-year-old Campbell man pleaded innocent Thursday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to two counts of aggravated trafficking of drugs.
Investigators said Walter Mootz of Sanderson Avenue was a low-end seller who twice dealt the prescription pain killer Oxycontin at South Side bars in August.
In one case, he sold nine pills for $375; in another, he sold three pills for $200. Dennis Sarisky, an assistant prosecutor who handles Mahoning County Drug Task Force cases, requested that Judge Maureen A. Cronin release Mootz on personal recognizance, referring to an ongoing investigation. Judge Cronin accepted the bond.
Man arrested in murder
YOUNGSTOWN -- A 30-year-old city man was arrested shortly after noon Thursday in the 1000 block of Parkview Avenue and jailed on warrants charging him with aggravated murder and aggravated burglary in a homicide on Labor Day. Melvin E. Hughes of Carroll Street man is charged in the death of Eugene McKinney, 25, who suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and was found dead on his kitchen floor at 464 Ferndale Ave. at 3 a.m. Monday. McKinney's girlfriend told police McKinney answered the door, and the gunman, dressed in black, including a stocking cap, forced his way in. The intruder struggled with McKinney as they moved toward the kitchen and started shooting, reports said.
Police search for man
BOARDMAN -- Township police are looking for a man who led officers on a high-speed chase after stealing about $200 worth of merchandise from Giant Eagle on Doral Drive at 1:22 a.m. today. Reports say the man was seen by officers leaving the store with cigarettes, roses and other items he had not paid for. When an officer asked the man to stop, he ran to a 1989 Oldsmobile, pushed the officer away from the car and took off. Another officer spotted the car at Mathews Road and South Avenue and attempted to pull it over. The man took off and eventually crashed through several fences on private property along state Route 170 in Poland. Police found the car wedged between a fence on a horse farm.