2 charged in robbery ask for new lawyers

2 charged in robberyask for new lawyers
GIRARD -- Preliminary hearings have been continued so two 18-year-old Youngstown men charged in a September robbery of a Liberty women can get new lawyers. Craig T. Robinson of Shaw Avenue and Derrick K. Owens of Seneca Street will appear in Girard Municipal Court at 2 p.m. Monday. Each is charged with aggravated robbery, and Owens also faces charges of carrying a concealed weapon and obstructing official business. The men were in court Wednesday, but asked for new attorneys independent of the public defender's office. Police say the men were caught fleeing from a woman's Roosevelt Avenue home. The woman told police she was accosted when she pulled into her driveway about 11:30 p.m. by three people wearing ski masks. She said they ordered her to the ground and put a gun to her head.
Playground renovations
BOARDMAN -- The Kids' Town Creative Playground in Boardman Township Park will be closed for about three weeks starting Tuesday for the second phase of renovations to the play area. The renovations will include replacement of all decking, seat boards and table tops with plastic lumber from recycled materials. The cost of the project is $44,000 subsidized by a grant from the Recycling Division of Mahoning County.
Using rescue squad
YOUNGSTOWN -- The fire department has put into service a heavy rescue squad truck at No. 1 station downtown. Fire Chief John J. O'Neill Jr. said the truck was purchased with a $203,000 federal grant sponsored by Sen. Mike DeWine. The city's cost under matching funds is about $37,000, O'Neill said.
Facing drug charge
CLEVELAND -- Mike Kohut, 26, of Brockton Drive is charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. The criminal information was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (Youngstown office) and IRS. If convicted, Kohut faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison up to a maximum of 40 years and $2 million fine.
Judge reduces award
YOUNGSTOWN -- A jury's award of $55,000 to a former Poland Township road department worker was reduced to $30,000 by Judge Robert Lisotto of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court. Swesey won the award after a trial in July. He had sought $110,000 in wages he says he lost after being fired by the township. Township trustees sought the reduction, arguing that Swesey miscalculated the amount of his loss by including wages he would have earned in the future. The township had fired and sued Swesey in 1998, saying he had fraudulently collected family health benefits when he was not married. Swesey filed a countersuit, saying he was married through common law.
Theft of medication
NILES -- A Maples Avenue man told police someone entered his home and took his medication. According to reports, someone entered the residence between 7:30 and 9:30 a.m. Wednesday and took 85 OxyContin pills.
Boy suspected in theft
CANFIELD -- A 10-year-old St. Andrews Drive boy suspected of stealing a Sony walkman and CDs from an unlocked car on Indian Run was refused admission to the juvenile justice center Wednesday because of overcrowding and released to his mother, according to the Mahoning County Sheriff's Department. A witness saw the boy enter the car then ride off on a bike. A deputy apprehended the boy and seized the stolen items as evidence.
Groundbreaking set
YOUNGSTOWN -- Ground will be broken for the new Taft Elementary School at a ceremony at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Parents and neighbors are invited to the event that will be conducted on the site of the new school at 3115 Gibson St. on the city's South Side. The school is part of the city school district's $182.5 million facilities project.
Break-in at Mike's Bar
CAMPBELL -- Someone breaking into Mike's Bar after last call apparently was still thirsty. A worker at the 12th Street bar reported to city police that the business had been broken into sometime between 2:20 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Wednesday. The burglar stole six six-packs of beer, 10 packs of cigarettes and change.