YOUNGSTOWN Tip leads police to Columbus murder suspect

Extra police on the street made a difference in this case, a spokesman said.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- A suspect in a Columbus murder was apprehended outside a South Avenue restaurant.
Acting on an anonymous tip that James C. Bliss, 21, of Columbus was in Youngstown, law enforcement officials found him outside the KFC on the city's South Side about 10 p.m. Tuesday and arrested him without incident.
Although the Gun Reduction Interdiction Project task force was not looking for Bliss, Youngstown police Lt. Robin Lees said having extra law enforcement on the city's streets through the federal program was instrumental in catching the Columbus man.
"We had resources in the street, working to find another fugitive when the call came about Bliss," Lees said. "We were able to get to him immediately because we could react so quickly."
GRIP involves focusing on Youngstown's highest crime areas -- in particular, crimes involving guns -- and uses the federal courts and their stiffer sentences to prosecute offenders.
Working together
Involved with the arrest were: Youngstown police; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; and Mahoning County Sheriff's Department.
"This sends a good message that when law enforcement works together, we can move quickly on an arrest," said Peter J. Elliott, U.S. marshal for the Northern District of Ohio.
Bliss is charged with the aggravated murder of Shawnee Norton, a 23-year-old Columbus man. Bliss and Norton were arguing Sunday in an alley near East Ninth Avenue in Columbus, Elliott said. Bliss is accused of pulling out a handgun and firing several shots that killed Norton.
Bliss fled and came to Youngstown with three other people from Columbus, Lees and Elliott said.
The four were arrested outside the South Side restaurant near a pay phone, Lees said. They were trying to find a ride, he said.
"They may have been trying to leave Youngstown, so it's good we got to them quickly," Lees said.
Obstruction charges
Charged with obstruction of justice are: William Thomas Bliss, 18; Dorothy M. Edwards, 39; and Angela M. Hughes, 23. Lees and Elliott weren't sure of their relationships with Bliss.
The four are being held in the Mahoning County Jail awaiting the arrival of Columbus police to take them back to that city for prosecution.
It is likely that one of the four had lived in this area or knew someone here, and that is why they drove to Youngstown, Lees said.
skolnick@vindy.com