Man who shot self is charged

The defendant will be arraigned once he is released from the hospital.
& lt;a href=mailto:sinkovich@vindy.com & gt;By PEGGY SINKOVICH & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- A 22-year-old man who shot himself while in the back seat of a Trumbull County Sheriff's Department cruiser now faces three charges of burglary and a single count of improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle.
The charges were filed in Newton Falls Municipal Court; however, it is not known when Kevin Spina, 22, of Niles will be arraigned.
"When he is released from the hospital, he'll be brought to court, but we don't know when that will be," said Rick Schwartz, Newton Falls prosecutor, Monday afternoon.
Spina was released from Akron General Hospital Monday night.
Sheriff's department records say Spina shot himself while handcuffed in the back seat of a cruiser driven by Sgt. Donald Hyde. The bullet went through Spina's palate, officials said.
Moments after the shooting, Spina told Hyde that he shot himself because he didn't want to go to jail.
Sheriff Thomas Altiere said Monday that he hopes an internal investigation into the matter will be completed this week.
Discipline possible
"I don't know what, if any, type of discipline he will face," Altiere said of Hyde.
Officials are trying to determine if Hyde violated any departmental policies.
Altiere has said that it is a violation of department policy to handcuff a prisoner with their hands in front of their body. Hyde stated on a typewritten report that Spina's hands were handcuffed in the front.
"We still have many people to interview before our investigation is complete," Altiere said. "We would like to talk to Mr. Spina, but we don't know if that will be possible."
He noted investigators also want to talk to Warren Township police officers because Hyde picked up Spina at their police station Dec. 8.
Spina and a juvenile female were arrested around 8 p.m. Dec. 8 at the township police station on charges of breaking and entering. The two had agreed to cooperate with Hyde and went with the deputy to pinpoint break-in sites.
Searched suspect
Hyde said he searched Spina before placing him in the cruiser.
The report further notes that Spina was placed in the back seat of the cruiser and the juvenile was sitting in the front seat.
The three drove to Newton Township and stopped beneath a turnpike overpass to grab a pillowcase that Spina said contained stolen merchandise, Hyde's report states.
Hyde placed the pillowcase in the back seat with Spina, and a few minutes later he heard a loud bang, the report continues.
Hyde, 50, has been a Trumbull County deputy for 27 years. Spina previously had been in the county jail on charges of receiving stolen property, criminal trespassing and criminal mischief. He was released Jan. 17.
& lt;a href=mailto:sinkovich@vindy.com & gt;sinkovich@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;