Death penalty dropped

Death penalty dropped
WARREN -- The Trumbull County Prosecutor's Office has dropped a death penalty specification against a 22-year-old Maple Street S.W. man accused of killing a city man March 18.
Atty. Charles Morrow, an assistant county prosecutor, declined to say why he dropped the specification against Shawn Price, who is accused of killing William Jarrette, 38, and the attempted killing and robbery of Nick Warfield, 25. Both victims lived on Burton Street.
Price, who has pleaded innocent, still faces a murder charge. If convicted he could face life in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years. Price's trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 22 in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.
Assault charges
BROOKFIELD -- A 41-year-old woman has been charged with assaulting a court bailiff.
Paula Gibson, whose last known address is Warren-Sharon Road, was arraigned Monday before Judge Ronald Rice of Trumbull County Eastern District Court on a charge of assault on a peace officer.
Gibson was released after posting a $2,500 bond. A preliminary hearing is set for 10 a.m. Thursday.
Police Detective Pete Gibb said Gibson had been evicted from her house. He said Brooke Myers, eastern district court's probation officer working Friday as an acting bailiff, went to the house to check on two cats left behind. Gibb said that while at the house, Gibson arrived and pushed Myers, nearly sending her down a flight of stairs.
Ruling in child's death
GIRARD -- The Trumbull County Coroner's Office has ruled the death of 20-month-old Brandon Craven a homicide.
Brandon and his brother, Robert, 3, were taken by relatives to Tod Children's Hospital Sept. 17. Both had been beaten, police said. Brandon died Wednesday.
Their father, Bobby Lee Craven, 24, of Trumbull Avenue, has been charged with child endangering for injuries suffered by Robert. The case involving Brandon is expected to be presented this week to the county grand jury.
The coroner's office said Brandon died of a head injury.
Candlelight ceremony
WARREN -- A candlelight ceremony to remember domestic violence victims and celebrate those who have survived will be at 7 p.m. Monday, the National Day of Unity, at Court House Square. The event, sponsored by Someplace Safe, a Trumbull County domestic violence shelter for women and their children, will include formerly battered women talking about their experiences, as well as poetry and music. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Baby's death probed
YOUNGSTOWN -- Detectives are investigating the death of an 11-month-old girl whose mother told police that her daughter choked while drinking formula at their DuPont Street home Monday.
The baby, Latysha Jackson, was pronounced dead at 1:22 p.m. Monday at St. Elizabeth Health Center, reports show. The mother's cousin told police that he tried to administer CPR. An ambulance paramedic told police that he noticed white flakes in the baby's right ear and possible vaginal trauma.
The case has been turned over to the Mahoning County coroner.
Theft at country club
CANFIELD -- Mahoning County deputy sheriffs are investigating the theft of money paid to a photographer at Tippecanoe Country Club. The photographer, of Painesville, reported that she took pictures of couples at a class reunion Saturday night at the country club.
The couples were asked to place money in an envelope if they wanted to buy the picture.
Some couples also wrote credit-card numbers on the envelopes.
When the reunion had ended, the photographer noticed that several of the envelopes were missing.
Sky Bank ATM damaged
BOARDMAN -- An automated teller machine at Sky Bank, 711 Boardman-Canfield Road, sustained $5,000 in damage but no cash was taken in a thwarted theft attempt.
According to police reports, the bank manager discovered the damage about 8:30 a.m. Friday.
The ATM's face plate was destroyed and interior mechanical parts damaged when the would-be thief forced entry by cutting around the card slot but failed to access the money canisters.
The thief apparently covered the machine's video camera with duct tape to prevent the theft from being recorded, and affixed an out-of-order sign to the machine to delay discovery of the damage.