VIENNA AIRPORT BCI requests records of charter flights

BCI told officials the records are part of an ongoing probe.
By PEGGY SINKOVICH and STEPHEN SIFF
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
VIENNA -- The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation has requested charter flight manifests from Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport.
"These are not records that our police department keeps," said Mark Finamore, a Vienna Township trustee.
"BCI asked us to get the records and to keep them so that they could pick them up. We are just helping out."
The records list passengers taking charter flights from the local airport, officials said.
There are no regularly scheduled commercial flights, but charter companies frequently put together weekend flights to gambling destinations.
The records were kept by Winner Aviation, which offers ground services to the charter companies.
Finamore said he was not sure how many documents were requested.
Winner Aviation president and CEO Rick Hale did not return phone calls seeking a comment.
No comment
Neither Finamore nor Dave Ovensy, Vienna police chief, would say if the agency has picked up the records.
"I can't comment at all," Ovensy said.
A request from The Vindicator to review the records was declined.
"BCI has instructed us that the records are part of an ongoing investigation, and if they were released it could possibly tip off someone," Finamore said.
"I have no idea what they are looking for because they didn't tell us that. We are just holding the records."
BCI officials could not be reached.
The records are not kept by the Western Reserve Port Authority, which runs the airport.
sinkovich@vindy.com
siff@vindy.com