Berlin bridge to reopen

Berlin bridge to reopen
YOUNGSTOWN -- The U.S. Route 224 bridge over Berlin Reservoir is scheduled to reopen by noon Friday, according to a spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Transportation. The bridge has been closed for replacement since February.
Weather delays pushed back its reopening, which was originally set for October.
Charged in fatal crash
CANFIELD -- Robert Buila, 25, of Tippecanoe Road is charged with aggravated vehicular homicide and will be arraigned Monday in Mahoning County Court, Austintown.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol said Buila caused the weekend death of Samuel Charles, 37, of Mineral Ridge. Charles died late Saturday from injuries in a two-car crash earlier that day on state Route 11.
Traffic violations
NORTH JACKSON -- Township police, as part of Operation Safe Streets, will target traffic violators Nov. 24-30. Police will be on the lookout for speeders and impaired drivers, and will enforce the use of safety belts and child restraints.
Car stereo stolen
YOUNGSTOWN -- Police made three arrests after a car stereo was stolen on North Portland Avenue. Police found the suspected getaway car on First Street, where they arrested two juveniles and Aaron D. Johnson, 21, of Austintown.
Witnesses to the theft were brought to a house in the 1600 block of First Street, where they identified Johnson and two 15-year-old boys. The boys were taken to the juvenile justice center. Johnson, of Compass West, was found hiding under clothes in the basement of the First Street house, police said. He faces charges of theft and receiving stolen property.
The victim identified his stereo bracket and CDs found in the Oldsmobile. Police said they also found two CD players in the trunk.
Crisis center officers
YOUNGSTOWN -- Help Hotline Crisis Center's board of directors elected 2002-03 officers. They are Gary Marinelli of Boardman, president; Jan Gill-Wigal of Columbiana, vice president; Mary Margaret Hovanes of Youngstown, secretary; and Kenneth M. Tkach of Boardman, treasurer.
Fire victim dies
STRUTHERS -- Andrew Strickland, 33, of 510 Fourth St. died in Akron Children's Hospital on Sunday.
He had been hospitalized since Sept. 21 after being burned in a fire at his home. To escape the fire, which was reported at 1:06 a.m., Strickland jumped from a second-floor window.
The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.
Sexual assault suspect
LAKE MILTON -- Milton Township police are seeking a man who forced his way into a home on Ellsworth Road and sexually assaulted a woman there Friday. Police described the suspect as a white male, 25 to 30 years old, about 6 feet tall and weighing 180 to 200 pounds, with three to four days' growth of a goatee.
He was well-dressed, wearing black jeans, a gray shirt and a black leather dress coat, and he drove a midsize black car. The assailant wasn't afraid of a pit bull terrier running loose in the home, police said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Milton Township police.
Charged with fraud
CLEVELAND -- A federal grand jury has returned a 31-count indictment against a Berlin Center man, charging him with 24 counts of bank fraud, four counts of wire fraud, two counts of identity theft and one count of access device fraud.
Jay D. Blake, 31, of Heiser Road obtained $135,499 through a scheme while working as office manager for the Westview Companies of Olmsted Falls, the indictment says. Blake is charged with diverting company funds for his own use through fraudulent banking transactions.
Meeting canceled
CANFIELD -- The regular meeting of the governing board of the Mahoning County Educational Service Center scheduled for Thursday has been canceled.
Meeting set
YOUNGSTOWN -- The board of directors of the Legacy Academy for Leaders meets today at 6:45 p.m. at Calvary Ministries International, 1812 Oak Hill Ave.