YOUNGSTOWN Former GOP candidate turns himself in to police

The man lost an Austintown precinct committee race by one vote.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- A former Republican precinct committee candidate charged with election falsification and election fraud has surrendered to police.
The Mahoning County Sheriff's Department filed a warrant three weeks ago for the arrest of James A. Roman, 30, of South Hazelwood Avenue in Youngstown on the two charges. Roman came in Tuesday to the Austintown Police Department.
He is free on $2,500 bond pending a Thursday arraignment in Mahoning County Court in Austintown.
Roman is among three former Republican candidates who deputy sheriffs say committed election falsification and fraud by purposely filing documents with the Mahoning County Board of Elections that claim they live at one address when they live elsewhere.
Roman listed an address on South Navarre Drive in Austintown as his residence on his declaration of candidacy. Sheriff Randall Wellington said Roman lives on South Hazelwood Avenue in Youngstown, thus making him ineligible to run for precinct committee member in Austintown.
Roman ran for a committee seat last month in Austintown Precinct 11 and lost 9-8.
Other candidates
Last month, the sheriff's department arrested two other former Republican candidates -- T. Elliot Hough, a write-in candidate for a seat on the 7th District Court of Appeals, and Michael Prozy, a precinct committee candidate in Canfield. Sheriff's deputies said the two filed false addresses with the elections board. Hough lives in his car and Prozy lives in Boardman, deputies say.
Pretrials for Hough and Prozy are set for July 1 also in the county court in Austintown. Their attorneys have filed motions seeking the dismissal of the charges, saying the county court does not have jurisdiction over the cases.
The lawyers say if any crime was committed, it occurred in Youngstown, and thus the charges should be dropped.
Judge David A. D'Apolito is not expected to make a decision on the motions any earlier than July 1.
Roman and Prozy ran under the banner of the Republicans for Real Reform, a political group that failed to take over the Mahoning County Republican Party.
skolnick@vindy.com