Taking treasurer's post

Taking treasurer's post
SALEM -- Schools Superintendent Dr. David Brobeck will serve as the district's temporary treasurer. He was appointed to the post by the school board, which met Sunday in a special session to make the appointment.
The treasurer's job was left vacant by the Dec. 16 resignation of Ted Cougras. School officials have provided no explanation for Cougras' departure.
They also have declined to explain why the Columbiana County Prosecutor's Office seized school district financial records several days before Cougras' resignation. Prosecutor Robert Herron was unavailable this morning to discuss the matter.
Purse stolen from car
SALEM -- A Lisbon woman told Salem police that someone threw a large rock through her car window and stole her purse from inside the vehicle.
The car was parked in a lot along the 800 block of East State Street when the crime occurred between 7:45 p.m. and 9:55 p.m. Friday, police said.
The value of the purse and its contents was about $200.
Looking into accident
LISBON -- The Lisbon post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating an accident in Yellow Creek Township that sent two Salineville residents to a Pittsburgh hospital.
The patrol said Don Allison, 67, of 5 Sycamore Drive and his passenger, Dolores Harvey, 70, of 3 Sycamore Drive, were flown from the crash site to UPMC Health System.
A hospital spokeswoman said this morning Allison was in fair condition and Harvey in critical condition.
The patrol said Robert Collins, 39, of Carrollton was driving a tractor-trailer north on state Route 39 about 8:30 a.m. Saturday when the rig went off the right side of the road and struck a guardrail. The rig jackknifed left of center into the path of Allison's car. The car then struck an embankment.
Investigating arson
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Investigators are looking into an arson at 201 Patterson Ave. New Castle Fire Chief James Donston said the blaze was set at 6:50 p.m. Saturday on the outside of the home. It extended to the second floor before being extinguished.
There were no utilities operating in the vacant home, the chief noted. Firefighters did not know this morning who owned the structure.
Police seek 2 robbers
HERMITAGE, Pa. -- Police are searching for two men who robbed a woman on East State Street. Police described the suspects as two black men in their mid-30s. The driver was wearing a blue ball cap and a Buffalo Bills jacket, police said. The woman was unable to describe the passenger.
The robbers pulled their car, a tan, late 1980s Oldsmobile, up to a woman walking on the 1500 block to ask for directions at 7:38 p.m. Sunday. Police said the woman bent down to talk to the men and one of the men grabbed her purse, which contained about $235.
Arrested after robbery
GREENVILLE, Pa. -- Charles P. Axe, 49, of Penn Avenue remained in jail this morning on charges of robbery, terroristic threats, theft and receiving stolen property.
Axe was arrested Saturday after an armed robbery at the Quick Fill Red Apple Gas Station on Main Street at 1:15 p.m. Saturday. Police said a witness took down the robber's license plate and followed his car. Police said they later got a search warrant for Axe's car and apartment and found items believed to have been taken from the gas station.
Police said Axe was arraigned and is in jail after failing to post $50,000 bond.
Firearms stolen
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Several handguns, rifles and shotguns were taken from a West North Street home. Police said someone broke into the house through a damaged window on the door sometime from 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
Police said the 79-year-old, bed-ridden resident was home during that time, but asleep and did not hear anyone enter.
Police probe scam
NILES -- Police are investigating a scam after a supermarket manager reported an employee was tricked into wiring more than $1,700.
According to reports, an employee of the Tops Friendly Market on U.S. Route 422 received a phone call around 6:30 p.m. Friday from a woman who said she was from Western Union and needed to update computers.
The caller gave the employee a 10-digit code and said she would call back. When she called again, the woman told the employee to test a wire transfer and instructed her to transfer $1,730 from one man for pickup in Atlanta by another man.
When the employee called Western Union to verify the test was successful, she was informed no one from the company had called and that it was a scam.