Plea withdrawal asked

Plea withdrawal asked
WARREN -- Eric Lee Porterfield, 29, of Warren has filed a motion asking Judge W. Wyatt McKay to allow him to withdraw his guilty pleas to two counts of aggravated murder.
Porterfield is accused of the death of Charles Mathey III, 40, and Garry Bell, 40, and the attempted murder of David Harper in a shooting at Harper's Newton Falls Township home in June 2000.
Porterfield pleaded guilty in October and was sentenced to 53 years in prison.
The Trumbull County prosecutorp has filed a motion opposing Porterfield's request.
Arraignment set
AUSTINTOWN -- A Lake Milton man will be arraigned in Austintown court Monday on charges of theft and criminal mischief.
Bruce L. Mollohan, 20, was arrested Thursday after failing to appear in court on a theft charge. He is accused of stealing four tires and rims valued at $200.
Mollohan will also be arraigned on charges of damaging government property. He allegedly moved a soda machine about 30 feet from its concrete slab in Lake Milton State Park on Jan. 1, turned it on its side and damaged the lock.
On probation
CLEVELAND -- A Concord man with a Mahoning Valley connection has been sentenced to two years' probation for trying to obstruct administration of internal revenue laws. U.S. District Judge Kathleen McDonald O'Malley ordered Johann Wilhelm Wiese, also known as Will Wiese, to serve the first six months of the probation under electronically monitored house arrest and to perform 150 hours of community service. While committing the offense, Wiese was a Prudential Insurance manager in Austintown, the U.S. attorney's office said. Wiese had pleaded guilty Dec.10 to providing false invoices in an attempt to obstruct an IRS audit of his 1995 income tax return and has paid the IRS $7,378 in unreported taxes resulting from overstated expenses.
Drug charge
CLEVELAND --Federal authorities have charged a 21-year-old Warren man with possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Shaffer A. McFadden of Third Street, S.W. possessed about nine ounces of the drug Nov. 28, with intent to distribute it, according to the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Lecture set
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Vince Shivers, a photojournalist for WFMJ TV- Channel 21, will talk about the life and work of P. Ross Berry, a black Civil War-era mason whose brickwork includes the Lawrence County Courthouse.
The lecture is set for 7 p.m. Thursday in the Lawrence County Historical Society's Medure History Building, 408 N. Jefferson St. The program is free and open to the public.
Guest speaker
NORTH LIMA -- Randy Hart of New York Life will be the guest speaker at the Beaver Township Crime Watch Meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday. He will discuss investments and ways to protect them. The meeting will be in the activity center at Shepherd of the Valley, 9111 Sharrott Road.
Blockwatch meeting
YOUNGSTOWN -- Buckeye Eyes and Ears Blockwatch meets at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Word of Grace Church, 2724 Mount Vernon Ave. Block watch president John A. Nittoli and watch member Shirley O'Hara will discuss issues affecting the 7th Ward and other neighborhood matters. Refreshments will be served.
Liquor license hearing
NORTH EAST, Pa. (AP) -- Lake Erie Speedway officials have applied for a license to serve beer, but some residents are fighting the move.
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board will schedule a hearing to decide whether to grant the license to the new racetrack in Erie County. The speedway is scheduled to open May 17.
Anheuser-Busch announced in January that Budweiser will sponsor the first race, involving late model pro stock cars, at the track near Interstate 86 and Route 89, about 10 miles northeast of Erie.
A liquor board spokeswoman said 19 individuals or groups have filed objections to the license, prompting the board to hold a hearing.
One group objecting to the license is Greenfield Good Neighbors Inc., a group of nearby property owners.