Boardman man indicted on bank robbery charges

Boardman man indictedon bank robbery charges
PITTSBURGH -- A Boardman man has been indicted in U.S. Federal Court on bank robbery charges. Larry Joe McCoy, 45, of Shadyside Drive is accused of robbing the First Commonwealth Bank on East Poland Avenue, Bessemer, on Dec. 12 and the First Commonwealth Bank on West State Street in Union Township on Jan. 7. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, a fine of $500,000, or both. Pennsylvania State Police said McCoy told them he used the money to pay his bills. He took about $6,400, police said.
Election recounts
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Mahoning County Board of Elections scheduled recounts for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday for the Struthers council president's race and the fourth and final spot on the Youngstown school board. The elections board certified the Nov. 4 general election results today and ordered the two automatic recounts because the margin of victory in both races was less than 0.50 of 1 percent. Even with the recounts, elections officials don't expect the outcomes in either race to change.
Armed holdup
YOUNGSTOWN -- A gunman got away with an undisclosed amount of money after a holdup at a Belmont Avenue store. Police said a masked man robbed J & amp;D Foodmart about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday with what victims described as an Uzi assault rifle. The gunman is described as a black male, about 5 feet 6 inches tall.
Murder trial jury seated
YOUNGSTOWN -- A jury of eight women and four men was seated Thursday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, where 36-year-old Christopher Anderson of Austintown is on trial for murder. Assistant prosecutor Kelly Johns said in her opening statement that Anderson strangled 22-year-old Amber Zurcher in her Compass West apartment in June 2002. Defense attorney Edward J. Hartwig said Anderson was home at the time and could not have done it. Zurcher's mother, Diane Whiteman, testified Thursday that she went to Zurcher's apartment and found her lying on the living room floor. The door was locked and no one else was there.
Indicted in Cleveland
CLEVELAND -- A federal grand jury in Cleveland indicted two Youngstown residents Wednesday. Jonathan Henderson, 21, who lists addresses in both Youngstown and Phoenix, Ariz., was indicted on a charge of possession of drugs with intent to distribute. The indictment says he was caught with more than 1.75 ounces of crack cocaine. Also indicted was Daniel D. Little, 23, of Cleveland Street, on a charge of possessing firearms and ammunition after he was convicted of a felony.
Commissioners' meeting
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mahoning County commissioners will hold an emergency meeting at 9:30 a.m. Friday in their hearing room in the courthouse basement. The purpose of the meeting is to consider a contract with Corrections Corporation of America for housing federal prisoners at the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center, a private prison on Hubbard Road.
Austintown pileup
AUSTINTOWN -- Four Mile Run Road near Walnut Trace was closed for about an hour this morning because of a three-vehicle accident. One vehicle rolled over, trapping the driver. The driver was freed by firefighters and taken to Forum Health Northside Health Center. Firefighters and police closed the road from 7:30 a.m. to 8:40 a.m. Additional details were not available this morning. Police are investigating.
Stolen shotgun
BOARDMAN -- A man reported to police that someone stole a $150 shotgun from his Shields Road apartment. The man discovered the burglary about 12:30 a.m. today, police said.
3 fraudulent checks
BOARDMAN -- Police received three reports regarding fraudulent checks. A First Place Bank employee reported that a bad $5,861 check was cashed in October at the 3900 Market St. branch. Seven-Seventeen Credit Union employees on California Avenue reported that two bad checks were cashed Tuesday -- one for $4,751 and another for $4,473. Employees said Wednesday both were cashed by different women, each about 22 years old.