Trial date set for city auditor
Trial date setfor city auditor
WARREN -- A trial is set for Oct. 24 in Warren Municipal Court for City Auditor David Griffing. Griffing faces a misdemeanor charge of dereliction of duty, accused of not ensuring that water department deposits were made promptly.
Visiting Judge Thomas Campbell previously dismissed a charge of dereliction of duty against Richard Griffing, the water department manager and Griffing's brother.
Atty. Sam Bluedorn, who represents David Griffing, has asked the judge to reconsider a motion for dismissal of the charges against his client. Bluedorn had asked for a dismissal in July and the judge rejected it.
Special Prosecutor Robert Johnson has a week to file a response to Bluedorn's reconsideration motion, after which the judge will rule.
Truck hits, kills man
WARREN -- Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating a car-pedestrian accident that killed a 60-year-old Warren man.
Reports state that Samuel H. Thompson, of Baker Street, had stopped his vehicle on the side of Old State Road around 9:58 p.m. Thursday to trade driver's position with his passenger.
Thompson was getting out of his vehicle when a pickup truck, driven by Steven M. Nezbeth, 33, of Hickory Road, West Farmington, crashed into the left front door of the car and struck Thompson. Thompson died at Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital, reports state.
Nezbeth and Thompson's passenger, Martha Thompson, 50, also of Baker Street, were not injured. Reports also note that Nezbeth tested a 0.114 blood-alcohol level. The legal blood-alcohol limit to show a driver is intoxicated is 0.10, officials said. No charges have been filed.
No new trial for Monus
YOUNGSTOWN -- A federal judge has overruled Mickey Monus' request for a new trial, saying the former Phar-Mor owner waited too long to file it.
Monus is serving more than 11 years in prison for fraud and embezzlement. His attorneys filed the request in March 2001, saying there was new evidence in the case, but Judge Peter C. Economus of U.S. District Court, Youngstown, ruled this week that it was filed too late.
The court record does not indicate what new evidence Monus intended to offer.
Indecent exposure
GIRARD -- An East Prospect Street woman told police a man exposed himself to her children as they walked home from school Wednesday.
Police reports say the 14- and 9-year-old noticed a blue car stopped at Highland and Prospect streets, and when they looked to see why the car was not moving, the man leaned back, exposed himself and then drove off.
Held in robbery
NILES -- A Mineral Ridge man accused of robbing a local convenience store clerk at knife point earlier this week is in Trumbull County Jail on a robbery charge.
Ted Dodrill, 46, of Omalia Avenue, is being held in lieu of $2,500 bond. A preliminary hearing is set for 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Reports said a man wearing all black entered the Dairy Mart on Robbins Avenue about 10:45 p.m. Tuesday and demanded money from a store employee. An undisclosed amount of money was taken.
Store for adults
BOARDMAN -- Ambiance: The Store for Lovers will be opening its doors in a plaza on U.S. Route 224 across from the Southern Park Mall by the end of the month.
The store, which will sell adult games, lingerie and other intimate items, is not labeled as a sexually oriented business, but trustees still opposed its coming here.