BOARDMAN Two drug cases yield different outcomes

The case against a third man who faces drug charges is pending.
BOARDMAN -- Two men arrested here on drug-related charges in January have had their day in court with different outcomes.
A 19-year-old Salem man was charged with misdemeanor possession of drugs after five unidentified prescription tablets were found in the glove box of his car during a traffic stop in front of Southern Park Mall. The charges were later dismissed when officers determined the prescription pills belonged to the man's grandmother.
The outcome for township resident Cyrus Adkins, 21, Applecrest Court, was much different. Adkins was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and not having a driver's license during a traffic stop in the 300 block of Boardman-Canfield Road that same weekend.
Plea agreement: Adkins initially pleaded innocent to the charges in Mahoning County Court here Jan. 24. In a plea agreement reached March 4, however, the drug paraphernalia charge was dismissed, and he pleaded no contest to a minor misdemeanor drug abuse charge. He was found guilty, fined $100 plus court costs, and given a 180-day license suspension.
Charges against a third man arrested on drug-related charges that weekend are still pending. Youngstown resident Tom Batianis, 21, Berkshire Drive, is charged with misdemeanor possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia after officers said prescription pain pills and marijuana were found in his car during a traffic stop at U.S. Route 224 and Southern Boulevard.
Batianis pleaded no contest to the charges Jan. 24. He is set for pretrial April 1 in county court.