YOUNGSTOWN Felon faces drug charge

The defendant owes fines from 1995, 1996, 1997 and 2001.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- David A. Venable, a convicted felon who blew his parole from a state prison then got in trouble again and served six months in jail, faces another drug charge.
The vice squad arrested Venable, 36, of Oxford Street and three others during a raid last week at a Regent Street house. The officers said they saw Venable fall to the floor and shove a tennis shoe under a chair. The tennis shoe contained heroin, police said.
Venable, charged with aggravated trafficking in heroin, is free on $25,000 cash or surety bond. He waived his right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday in municipal court, and Judge Robert A. Douglas Jr. bound the case over to a Mahoning County grand jury.
Last November, about two months after being released from state prison on gun and drug convictions, Venable was charged with felony possession of drugs. The charge was reduced to attempted drug abuse, a misdemeanor, and Municipal Judge Elizabeth A. Kobly sentenced him to 170 days in the county jail, records show. Venable was released May 8, the jail said.
Fines still owed
Municipal court records show that Venable still owes $160 in fines and costs imposed by Judge Kobly for the attempted drug abuse conviction.
Records show Venable also owes these fines and costs imposed by then-Judge Andrew Polovischak Jr.:
$180, parking ordinance, 1995.
$96, illegal registration of a vehicle, 1995.
$175, failure to show proof of insurance, 1995.
$146, suspended license, 1996.
$196, unauthorized use of a vehicle, 1997.
Because the fines and costs were imposed by Polovischak, they come under the jurisdiction of Judge Kobly, who replaced him.
The judge said she can assist the clerk of courts in collecting fines by having Venable arrested. Nonpayment can mean license suspension or a block that prohibits renewing a driver's license or registering a new vehicle, Judge Kobly said.
"We can't put them in jail" for nonpayment, she said.
After court Wednesday, Venable denied owing any fines when asked about them by a reporter.
About prison term
Venable's state prison term, meanwhile, resulted from a case he had in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court in late 1999. He pleaded guilty to carrying a concealed weapon and possession of cocaine; a charge of illegal possession of a weapon was dismissed.
On March 15, 2000, Judge R. Scott Krichbaum sentenced Venable to two one-year prison sentences, to run concurrently. He was given credit for 35 days in jail, according to docket entries.
On July 11, 2000, the judge considered a motion Venable had filed a month earlier for judicial release. The judge, noting no objection from the prosecutor, modified the sentence and placed Venable on two years' probation to be monitored by the Adult Parole Authority.
Judge Krichbaum ordered Venable to enter Community Corrections Association Inc., a halfway facility on Market Street, and complete its residential program.
He reported to CCA on July 11, 2000, but tested positive for cocaine during a urine check, and the judge ordered him into the county jail, said Denise Smith at CCA.
On Aug. 9, 2000, Judge Krichbaum reimposed all terms of the probation and told Venable to again report to CCA.
CCA said Venable successfully completed the program Dec. 18, 2000. His supervision was then turned over to the APA.
On March 30, 2001, Venable's whereabouts were unknown to the APA and Judge Krichbaum issued a warrant for his arrest. On April 2, 2001, the court found that Venable had again violated his probation, gave him credit for serving 217 days and ordered him back to prison, records show.
"I tried to help him and he proved unworthy of that effort," Judge Krichbaum said Wednesday.
The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction released Venable on Sept. 28, 2001.
Arrested in raid
Aside from Venable, the Regent Street raid, which took place Oct. 8, resulted in the arrest of Edward L. Dubose and Anthony Virola, both of Youngstown, and Julie A. Nagle of Fowler.
Dubose, 21, of Albert Street is charged with aggravated trafficking in heroin and possession of cocaine. He is free on $25,000 bond. He waived his preliminary hearing Wednesday and had the case bound over to a grand jury.
On March 26, Dubose was in Judge Douglas' court, charged with drug abuse, amended to labeling on drugs, and driving with a suspended license. Dubose pleaded no contest. The judge gave Dubose 60 days in jail on the drug charge and 180 days on the traffic charge, suspended all the jail time and placed him on one year's probation. Records show that Dubose paid his $260 in fines and costs.
Judge Douglas could consider the new arrest a probation violation and reimpose the jail time.
Virola, 19, of South Hazelwood Avenue is charged with aggravated trafficking in marijuana. His bond was set at $7,500, with 10 percent allowed to be posted, which he did. He waived his preliminary hearing, and the case was bound over to a grand jury.
Virola has two cases pending in municipal court, both reset six times and now scheduled for Oct. 30, records show. He was arrested in March and again in April and charged with driving with a temporary permit with no licensed driver in the car.
Nagle, 27, of Warner Road is charged with possession of marijuana, possession of Valium and possession of drug paraphernalia (marijuana pipe), all misdemeanors. Her bond was set at $1,500, with 10 percent allowed to be posted, which she did. She will be back in municipal court Dec. 4.
meade@vindy.com