Body is found burned

Body is found burned
YOUNGSTOWN -- Police are trying to identify a man whose badly burned body was found near a burned-out car in Crandall Park shortly before 5 a.m. today.
A UPS driver spotted the burning car in a ravine that runs parallel to Redondo Road and notified authorities, said Detective Sgt. John Kelty.
The body was found on the ground behind the car, which had been driven into the ravine from Tod Lane. Police reports say the man was lying on his back with his right leg pinned under the rear bumper.
Although the car was completely burned, police reports indicate it may be a 1992 Pontiac Bonneville. A license plate near the auto is registered to a Dean Avenue man.
Trial date set
YOUNGSTOWN -- A trial date has been set for one of two men accused of stabbing a Canfield High School student last month.
Joel Lassalle, 18, of East Philadelphia Avenue, Youngstown, will be tried on felonious assault charges beginning at 1:30 p.m. April 10 in the Mahoning County Common Pleas courtroom of Judge Jack Durkin. The trial date was set after a pretrial hearing earlier this week.
A county grand jury indicted Lassalle for the stabbing of Jose Morales, 17, of North Palmyra Road.
A grand jury also has been asked to consider indicting Eithyer Ramos, 18, of Coitsville Road, Campbell, in the stabbing.
Morales told deputies he was stabbed in the chest during a fight at his home around 1:24 a.m. Feb. 24. Deputies gave no reason for the fight.
Mahoning River talks
CANFIELD -- Ed Goist, director of Animal Charity, will discuss the economic benefits of a clean Mahoning River and the quality of life improvements it could make on the Mahoning Valley at 1 p.m. Friday during the Mahoning River Consortium meeting at Mill Creek MetroParks Farm on state Route 46 across from the Canfield Fairgrounds.
Fight turns to gunfire
YOUNGSTOWN -- An apparent argument over $10 Wednesday afternoon escalated into a fight in which gunshots were fired.
A 22-year-old Norwood Avenue man told police that he "sucker punched" a 34-year-old man while they were arguing over money at an East Ravenwood Avenue home. In response, the 34-year-old man produced a 9 mm handgun and fired four to six shots.
The shooter then fled in a red Cadillac. An off-duty police officer in the area reported hearing about six shots fired; four spent casings were recovered in the street.
Parking space dispute
YOUNGSTOWN -- A dispute over a downtown parking space resulted in a minor altercation between two men, each of whom filed police reports.
Police reports say the dispute occurred around 11:05 a.m. when a couple on their way to a meeting at the small business incubator parked in front of the Health Food Center, 265 Federal Plaza West.
The store owners had placed portable signs on the sidewalk in front of their building stating that parking spaces directly in front of the store are reserved for customers.
The parker disagreed, explaining to a store employee that parking on city streets is open to anyone.
An argument ensued, and the parker told police that he and the store employee "bumped chests" a few times before he walked away.
The store employee says the parker threatened him with a large hunting knife before leaving the scene.
Stolen checks cashed
YOUNGSTOWN -- A 21-year-old woman whose driver's license was stolen a week ago learned Wednesday that it was used to cash checks apparently stolen from her mailbox.
The Oakwood Avenue woman told police that Sky Bank informed her that several checks had been cashed from a checkbook she said she never received. Police reports say the bank mailed the checks to the woman's home Monday.
At least 10 checks have been cashed, some of them bearing the woman's driver's license number. Her driver's license was stolen from her car March 7.
Struthers-FOP pact
STRUTHERS -- City council has approved an ordinance to extend the labor agreement with the Fraternal Order of Police/Ohio Labor Council by six months.