YOUNGSTOWN City puts warnings on unlivable houses

Anyone found inside a red-tagged house faces up to 30 days in jail.
PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Two men found inside an East Side house were arrested on drug trafficking charges when police hit the streets red-tagging roughly 50 unsafe structures.
Tuesday, members of the Youngstown Police Department Street Crimes Unit, vice squad, multiagency Gun Reduction Interdiction Project, and housing, water and health departments placed red tags on houses on the East, South and North sides of town. Along the way, they made a few arrests.
At 1450 Forestview Ave., Anthony White, 20, of Mistletoe Avenue was arrested on a charge of aggravated trafficking in marijuana. Steve A. Daniels, 24, of Berwick Avenue was arrested on charges of aggravated trafficking in marijuana, drug abuse-marijuana and drug abuse-OxyContin.
The address, which has no water service, has been the site of gun and drug activity, police said. Red tags were placed on six other houses on Forestview.
The homes targeted for red tags lack basic needs, such as water, electricity and heat. No one is permitted to stay in a red-tagged house.
Houses were deemed unlivable on Lansdowne Boulevard, Duncan and Tod lanes, Stiles, Datson, Truesdale, Wilson, Garland, Avondale, Burlington, Chalmers, Cordova, Dewey, New York, Fairgreen, East Judson, Lakewood, West Warren, Kenmore, Nelson and Berwick avenues and Pearl, Bruce and Elm streets.
Many of the structures have become havens for criminal activity, said Lt. Rod Foley, commander of the city vice squad.
Anyone found inside a red-tagged house faces up to 30 days in jail and $250 fine, he said.
Citation
Lucille Puhak, owner of the house at 221 Carroll St., was issued a citation charging her with failure to cut high grass, weeds or plants. Puhak, 64, told police she is moving out of the foreclosed structure.
John Bricker, a housing inspector, said in his report that the roof is collapsing. The yard is also overgrown with weeds, some knee high.
At 120 Kenmore Ave., another red-tagged house, police encountered James O. Williams, 54, of West Evergreen Avenue and discovered he was wanted on a warrant issued in 1998. Williams failed to appear in municipal court in 1998 on a charge of driving under suspension, police said.
Houses at 120, 122, 124 and 136 Kenmore were red-tagged.
Mark Wallace, 45, Of West Bridge Street was arrested on Kenmore after police discovered he was wanted on a 2001 warrant for failure to appear in municipal court on charges of driving under suspension. Police tacked on a disorderly conduct charge when Wallace, described by police as highly intoxicated, refused to get in the cruiser, reports show.
He complied after being shot in the eyes with pepper spray. He was verbally abusive with paramedics called to clean his eyes out and with deputies at the jail, police said.
meade@vindy.com