YOUNGSTOWN Man accused of murder says he was assaulted by deputies

The sheriff's department will investigate.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- A man accused of killing a 71-year-old Struthers man says he is the victim of an assault at the hands of deputy sheriffs in the Mahoning County Jail.
Major Mike Budd said Beverly Hogan, mother of 36-year-old murder suspect Michael Hogan, filed a complaint with the Mahoning County Sheriff's Department on Wednesday afternoon saying her son had been sprayed with tear gas and assaulted by deputies.
Beverly Hogan said Michael Hogan called his sister in the early afternoon and complained of being assaulted.
The sister called Beverly Hogan who went to the jail and complained about the encounter. She said deputies would not allow her to see or speak with her son.
"I can't see my son calling and saying something was going on if there really wasn't," she said.
Budd, however, said nothing was going on. He said Michael Hogan was being returned to the jail from a scheduled court hearing when he started being belligerent with deputies.
He said Hogan was eventually escorted to his cell without incident or tear gas.
Investigation
According to Budd, the accusation will still be investigated.
"The bottom line is there was no altercation, no assault, but we will accept her complaint and conduct an unbiased investigation," he said.
An investigative detective will be assigned to take statements from anyone who witnessed the encounter, said Budd. From there the complaint will be ruled either founded or unfounded and forwarded to the sheriff.
Budd said Michael Hogan will appear before a ranking officer in the department today for an administrative hearing on his "uncooperative behavior" with deputies Wednesday.
He could face a loss of privileges or be placed on lock down.
Hogan is accused of using his car to run over John K. Ruble Sr. on the afternoon of May 31 in Boardman. Police say Ruble was trying to stop Hogan from stealing his wife's purse.
Hogan was arrested within hours on a parole violation, driving the car that police say hit Ruble. He remained in jail when a Mahoning County grand jury handed down a murder and aggravated robbery indictment June 27.
Hogan says he was several blocks away sleeping at his mother's house on Forestridge Drive at the time Ruble was hit.
jgoodwin@vindy.com