Identity theft reported

Identity theft reported
AUSTINTOWN -- A 57-year-old Pinegrove Avenue man told police he discovered more than $2,000 in unauthorized Internet purchases had been charged to his Sky Bank debit card when he received the statement earlier this week.
According to police reports, the charges were made between Nov. 12 and Dec. 2. The man told police he has no idea who may have made the charges or how the thief got his account number.
Shooting arrests
YOUNGSTOWN -- Kendall L. Smith, 29, of Rush Boulevard and Richard Armstrong Jr., 24, of Mable Avenue have been arrested on charges of attempted murder and aggravated robbery. Both are accused in the Nov. 12 shooting of Antonio Cleveland, 20, of Williamson Avenue. Smith was arrested Thursday in Niles; Armstrong was arrested Wednesday in Youngstown. Cleveland told police he was shot in his right shoulder and left leg at Erie Street and Oklahoma Avenue just before 9 p.m. when a car pulled up and at least one occupant opened fire. Cleveland went to a house on Wayne Street to call for an ambulance.
Enrollment increases
STRUTHERS -- Enrollment in Struthers City Schools was up 3.2 percent in October compared with October 2001, the school board reported. Last October, 1,951 children were enrolled in the city's schools. This year, 2,015 children are enrolled: 761 attend the elementary school, 607 attend the middle school, and 647 attend the high school.
Expenditures have increased 5.14 percent, from $12.8 million to $13.5 million. Revenues have increased 4.17 percent, from $12.9 million to $13.4 million. The bulk of funds, $8.32 million, are provided by the state; another $4.4 million is provided by local taxes.
Shot during robbery
YOUNGSTOWN -- Bittu Singh was found by police lying on the floor behind the counter at Belmont Food Mart on Thursday afternoon, shot in the right wrist and right leg. Singh told police that his assailant was a thin man in his 50s dressed in a black T-shirt and long, black coat. Singh, 32, of Boardman, said he was shot after he gave the robber his wallet and the money from the cash register. Singh told police that the robber, a regular customer, threatened to kill him. The store clerk was in stable condition today at St. Elizabeth Health Center.
Cause of fire sought
AUSTINTOWN -- Investigators are hoping the Mahoning County coroner can help them determine the cause of a fire Nov. 29 at 278 Ohltown Road. Steve Fraley, 41, who lived in the home, was found dead on the second floor.
Firefighters found flames on the first floor of the home at about 10:20 a.m. They had the blaze under control in about 45 minutes, but the home was destroyed.
Man critical after fire
BOARDMAN -- A township man was in critical condition in the burn center at Akron Children's Hospital after a kitchen fire Wednesday at the Great China Buffet restaurant in the Shops at the Plaza.
Lt. Jim McCreary, Boardman fire department, said the 50-year-old man was cooking at the restaurant when grease in a pan caught fire. He said the man tried to carry the burning pan outside, but grease and fire from the pan landed on his body. The man received third- and fourth-degree burns over 57 percent of his body. There was no damage to the restaurant.
Pupils raise funds
LOWELLVILLE -- Elementary pupils here raised more than $1,200 this year to buy gifts for needy local families.
Some 180 pupils in grades 3 through 6 collected donations from friends and relatives who sponsored them in a basketball shoot-a-thon, said Julie DiLoreto, a sixth-grade teacher.
DiLoreto and a gym teacher came up with the idea for a shoot-a-thon eight years ago and have been doing it ever since, she said. In that time, pupils have raised more than $9,000 that was used to buy gifts and groceries for 57 needy children and their families.
After the elementary pupils collect the money, DiLoreto said, members of the National Honor Society at the high school purchase and wrap gifts for children whose names were obtained through Catholic Charities of the Mahoning Valley. They will buy gifts for six children from three families this weekend along with gift certificates for groceries for three Lowellville families, DiLoreto said.
Mattress fire burns man
YOUNGSTOWN -- Ricky Lewis, 49, was using a space heater to keep warm at 332 N. Garland Ave. when a mattress caught fire Thursday evening, the fire department said. Lewis was found on the sidewalk, with his pants still on fire and legs badly burned when firefighters arrived at 7:04 p.m. The house had all utilities shut off, the fire department said. Lewis was in serious condition today at Akron Burn Unit.