BUTLER TOWNSHIP Police probe home break-in

Authorities followed a blood trail believed to have been left by one or both of the intruders.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM -- Authorities are trying to find two men who broke into a Butler Township home, struck a woman living there and fled with cash.
The crime occurred about 3 a.m. Thursday when the two masked men walked through the unlocked front door of a residence on Slater Road, Lt. Jerry Herbert of the Columbiana County Sheriff's department said.
A 31-year-old woman was the only one inside the house when the intruders entered. Her husband was in the garage working, Herbert said.
The men demanded money and forced the woman upstairs, where they broke into a desk and took a bag filled with an undetermined amount of cash.
Indicating that they thought there should be more money and that they were angry, one of the men struck the woman in the forehead with the butt of a firearm, Herbert said.
It's unclear whether the men were armed with a handgun or a shotgun.
They then fled. By now, the woman's husband had become aware something was amiss.
He fired an undetermined number of shots at the fleeing men with a rifle.
One or both of the men may have been hit by the gunfire or hurt climbing fences along the path on which they fled, Sheriff Dave Smith said this morning.
Investigators found blood along the escape route, which they followed to Whitacre Road, where the blood trail ended, Smith said.
It's unclear whether the men picked the home at random or if they targeted it beforehand, he added.
The woman was treated at Salem Community Hospital for the blow to her head, which required stitches, Herbert said.
Authorities tried Thursday to determine if the crime is connected with a stolen car found by sheriff's officials Thursday morning along Lakeside Drive in Knox Township.
The car's lights were on and it was still running when it was discovered, Smith said.
The car was reported stolen from a Canton residence Wednesday night, Smith said.
One of the home intruders was described as white, about 6 feet tall and weighing about 180 pounds.
The other was black, about 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing about 160 pounds.