Neighbor sees house fire

Neighbor sees house fire
HERMITAGE, Pa. -- Fire of undetermined origin did extensive damage to a house at 150 Crawford Drive.
Ronald and Veronica Musial, owners of the two-story frame structure, were out of town visiting relatives when a neighbor saw the fire about 3:30 p.m. Thursday.
The neighbor saw fire and smoke coming from the rear of the house.
Fire Marshal Robert Goeltz said the blaze started in the basement but did extensive fire and smoke damage to the entire house because it burned for some time before it was discovered.
The cause is believed to be accidental, but the investigation isn't complete, Goeltz said late Thursday.
The house is uninhabitable, he said. The owners, who were due back in town today, said they had insurance, he said.
Sharon firefighters assisted Hermitage at the scene. There were no injuries.
Felonious assault charge
LISBON -- An East Liverpool man is guilty of felonious assault for using his car to run down a man who criticized him for speeding.
A jury in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court found William Straight, 53, of East Ninth Street, guilty Thursday.
Straight wasn't there to hear the verdict. He had been taken by ambulance from the court to East Liverpool City Hospital after experiencing sweating and numbness, a court official said.
His condition was unavailable this morning. Straight will be sentenced later.
He ran over a Ninth Street neighbor in March after the 38-year-old man had shouted for Straight to slow down as he drove by.
Man dies after stabbing
WARREN -- A man who was stabbed in a house on Parkman Road, S.W., Thursday morning died early today in St. Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown. Marciel Daniels, 20, who was flown to the hospital by helicopter after the 10:07 a.m. stabbing, and his brother, Melvia, 22, who was treated at Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital, were listed on police reports as Orange Court residents. The victims told police they were stabbed by a man they knew. The police report does not identify the instrument used in the stabbing or mention a motive. There were no reports of any suspect in custody late Thursday evening, police said.
Engineer seeks re-election
WARREN -- Trumbull County Engineer John Latell has announced he plans to seek re-election.
Latell, a Democrat, was appointed engineer at the end of 1994 and was subsequently elected to two full terms.
No other candidates have announced intentions to run in either the Democratic or Republican primary in March.
Attempted arson case
SHARON, Pa. -- Police arrested Robert E. Wagner, 34, of Baldwin Avenue after he was accused of pouring gasoline on a vehicle in the 400 block of South Irvine Avenue and trying to set it ablaze. Witnesses told police Wagner tried to break into a garage and then dumped gasoline on a car but was apparently unable to ignite it about 10:45 p.m. Thursday. He was charged with attempted arson, attempted trespassing, possession of an instrument of crime and public drunkenness, and was held overnight for arraignment.
Sharon woman is robbed
SHARON, Pa. -- Police said an Elm Avenue woman's attempt to help a person in need ended up with her purse being stolen. The victim told police she got a knock on her door at 1:30 a.m. today and opened it to find a young woman, who said her car had broken down and she needed to use a telephone. The victim let the woman in and gave her a soft drink. The young woman grabbed the victim's purse containing a checkbook and a small amount of cash from the couch and ran out the door, police said.
Purses stolen from car
HERMITAGE, Pa. -- Two elderly women locked their purses in a car while they walked to visit a grave at Hillcrest Memorial Park on East State Street. The two, ages 72 and 79, watched from a distance as a man in a pickup truck drove up to their car, smashed a window and stole their purses about 2:30 p.m. Thursday, police said. The thief was described as a white man in his 20s driving an older light brown or tan pickup truck that was in poor condition.