Man pleads insanity in shooting at cops

Man pleads insanityin shooting at cops
LISBON -- A 39-year-old Perry Township man accused of firing shots in police officers' direction is pleading innocent by reason of insanity.
Andrew Swetye of 1201 Depot Road is charged with two counts of first-degree felonious assault.
Authorities say Swetye fired two shots in the direction of Perry Township police officers when they arrived at his home to check on him after a family member expressed concern about Swetye's condition.
No one was injured by the gunfire. Swetye is in the county jail on $50,000 bond.
No trial date has been set. The case is being heard in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court.
Burglaries reported
SALEM -- A resident of the 1200 block of East 12th Street in Perry Township reported to police that someone entered the residence and took a purse that was on a table, police said. The purse's contents were not described.
A person of the 900 block of Jones Drive in Perry Township told township police that someone tried to enter the home through a bathroom window, which was discovered halfway open. Nothing was reported missing.
Both matters were reported to police earlier this week.
Green Twp. fire grant
GREENFORD -- The Green Township Volunteer Fire Department will receive a $10,800 grant from The Federal Emergency Management Agency. The money can be used for training, wellness and fitness, firefighting equipment and personal protective equipment.
Green Township was among more than 19,500 fire departments nationally that applied for funding.
New-school celebration
LEETONIA -- A dedication ceremony for Leetonia schools' new kindergarten-through-12th-grade complex will be at 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the high school gym.
The school will be open for tours after the ceremony.
Airport authority
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Lawrence County commissioners reappointed Seth Kohn to the Lawrence County Airport Authority for a six-year term. Kohn, of New Castle, will serve his second term on the board through June 2007.
The board oversees the operations of the county airport in Union Township.
Beaver police contract
NORTH LIMA -- Beaver Township trustees discussed Tuesday a new contract between the township and its police department.
The trustees went into executive session immediately after opening the meeting at 6 p.m. No action was taken. Trustees said the meeting was needed to begin discussing the proposed three-year police contract, which covers the township's 12 full-time officers, including the police chief.
The current contract, also a three-year agreement, expires Dec. 31. Part-time police officers are not covered by the agreement.
Hallmark store robbed
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- A man buying a birthday card for his mother demanded cash from the register at Mary Ann's Hallmark store in Westgate Plaza, Union Township, according to state police.
Police said this morning that that the apparently unarmed man walked up to the counter and engaged the clerks in polite conversation before demanding the money at 7:45 p.m. Monday. He ran to the rear of the plaza and disappeared somewhere near Lower Idlewild Drive, they said.
Clerks described him as a white man in his late 20s or early 30s, about 6 feet tall, with thin build. He discarded a red hooded pullover jacket with "New Castle Red Hurricanes" embroidered on it near the plaza.
Anyone recognizing his description should call police at (724) 598-2211. Callers may remain anonymous. Police note that the man's mother may soon have a birthday.