YOUNGSTOWN Police ID suspect wanted in killing

The suspect went to prison in 1994, convicted of aggravated robberies here.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- George Ware IV, suspected of killing the Columbus woman found in a burned-out car Dec. 8, was released from prison in October and lived on the North Side.
Suzanne M. Dalton, 43, was found dead inside the trunk of a 1999 Lincoln Town Car that had been set on fire behind 628 Oak St., the former Red Carpet Lounge on the East Side. She had been shot in the head before the fire, and dental records were used to identify her.
Columbus police have issued an aggravated-murder warrant for Ware, 27, of Tacoma Avenue. The North Side address was given when Ware obtained a temporary driver's permit Oct. 17, police said.
Police believe he may be in this area.
Ware also has a Columbus address -- next door to 40-year-old Diane Knaff, a friend of Dalton's.
Last month, police obtained a warrant for Knaff, suspecting that she had used Dalton's credit card at the Southern Park Mall in Boardman on Dec. 8, after the then-unidentified body was found. After police questioned Knaff, who had an alibi, the warrant was withdrawn.
Convictions
Records show that Ware was convicted of aggravated robberies and weapons and drug offenses that occurred in 1993 and 1994 in Mahoning and Trumbull counties.
He was sent to prison in April 1994 and paroled Oct. 16 from the Chillicothe Correctional Institution, after being moved twice. Records show he was also convicted of having drugs in a detention facility.
Ware is also being sought as a parole violator at large. Police say he may be armed and describe him as dangerous with a history of drug abuse.
The burned-out Lincoln was owned by the victim's husband, Richard Dalton, a district manager at the Columbus Dispatch. He reported his wife missing Dec. 8, the day she was found in the trunk.
Her husband said he last saw her the day before when she left to go shopping.
She had been at a Columbus bar about eight hours before her charred remains were found in the trunk.
The homicide was investigated by Youngstown and Columbus detectives. The homicide occurred in Columbus, police said.
Holly Washington, 41, no address given, was charged with obstructing justice in the case and was jailed Thursday, police said.
meade@vindy.com