MAHONING COUNTY Judge seals documents in drug case

A prosecutor said public access to court documents would harm the reputations of people alleged to be involved.
YOUNGSTOWN -- A judge in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court has sealed documents related to the searches of homes in Struthers and Poland where drugs and weapons were seized from what authorities call a father-and-son suburban drug dealing team.
Judge R. Scott Krichbaum signed the order Tuesday. It prohibits public access to a search warrant, an affidavit supporting the warrant and other documents.
Warrant for search
The warrant was used by members of the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force and Struthers and Poland police departments during searches Saturday of homes at 109 Clingan Road in Struthers and 6737 Clingan Road in Poland.
Christopher Gentile, 29, of 6737 Clingan, faces a felony drug abuse charge and a felony weapons charge after an appearance Monday in Municipal Court in Struthers. He is being held in the Mahoning County jail in lieu of a $200,000 surety bond and faces a pretrial hearing Friday.
The 49-year-old father has not yet been arrested, and his case will probably be presented directly to a grand jury Thursday, said Task Force Commander David Allen. The Vindicator incorrectly reported Tuesday that he had been arrested.
During the searches, police found a false wall and a hidden room in the basement of the Struthers home, which is owned by the father, Larry Gentile, and confiscated suspected cocaine, drug processing equipment, a list of suspected drug customers and weapons, including a machine gun with a silencer. In the son's Poland home, they found drugs and a handgun.
Allen said 90 percent of the evidence seized was found in the Struthers home.
Prosecutor's request
In an application, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Michael T. Villani writes that the task force will need at least four weeks to investigate additional evidence seized and requests the sealing of documents, arguing that "public access ... would prejudice the reputations of the persons described in the Warrant and Affidavit unjustly," if the prosecutor or a grand jury does not issue criminal indictments.
He further argues that the sealing is required "to protect the identity of cooperating sources used to obtain the warrant."