YOUNGSTOWN Stolen items to be on display for identification

A woman is accused of driving a suspected burglar, prosecutor says.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Jewelry and other items taken in a series of burglaries will be on display next week for victims to identify.
On Tuesday, recovered stolen goods will be on display from 5 to 7 p.m. on the fourth floor of the Youngstown Police Department. The stolen goods, confiscated by Youngstown police, may have be stolen outside the city.
On Thursday, recovered stolen goods will be on display from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Boardman Township Police Department. Likewise, although the items were confiscated by Boardman police, they may have been stolen elsewhere.
Jewelry
Jeffrey L. Patterson, Boardman police chief, said his department has about 100 pieces of jewelry and other items that will be shown.
Youngstown Detective Sgt. Pat Kelly, head of the street crimes unit, said Youngstown has about 200 pieces of jewelry confiscated from a fence (a person who buys and resells stolen goods) in Campbell, six bank-size envelopes filled with jewelry that had been pawned, three computers, a TV, two camcorders, a VCR and sweeper.
Burglary victims from Boardman, Beaver, Campbell, Canfield, Poland, Hubbard, Austintown, Struthers and Youngstown are invited to inspect the items. Police from those communities, along with the Mahoning County Sheriff's Department, contributed to the investigation.
Arrested
The investigation led to the Jan. 31 arrest in Youngstown of William J. Harrison, 42, of Crescent Drive, Struthers. Detectives say he has admitted committing a series of burglaries within the past month or so.
Kelly said Harrison committed burglaries because of a heroin addiction. Harrison is serving a 180-day jail sentence for driving under suspension.
Mahoning County Prosecutor Paul J. Gains said again Friday that he wants to consolidate Harrison's cases and directly present evidence to a grand jury to prevent court-hopping.
Directly presenting evidence to a grand jury eliminates the need to arraign Harrison in a lower court, schedule a preliminary hearing in the lower court, then wait to see if a judge binds the case over to a grand jury after the hearing.
So far, Harrison faces charges in Boardman, Youngstown, Campbell and Struthers. Charges filed in Struthers and Boardman will be dismissed so they can be directly presented to a grand jury, the prosecutor said.
Arraigned
Carla M. Young, whom Gains described as Harrison's driver for burglaries in Boardman, was arraigned in Mahoning County Court there on three counts of complicity to commit burglary. Her bond was set at $30,000 cash or surety and she is due back in court Monday.
Boardman Capt. Jack Nichols said she could face additional charges.
Another suspected accomplice in Boardman, Christopher A. Gasbarro, 25, of Youngstown, is charged with tampering with evidence and receiving stolen property. His bond is $11,500 cash or surety, and he also is due back in court Monday.
meade@vindy.com