PADDLING CASE Grand jury collects testimony

It is not known when a grand jury will report .
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- A teenager who says he was paddled by the Fowler Township police chief testified in front of a Trumbull County grand jury.
Richard Woolf and his mother, Carol, both of Vienna, were subpoenaed to the grand jury Wednesday.
The 16-year-old said he was doing all right, but testifying was stressful. He declined to say what he was asked during the hearing. Grand jury proceedings are secret and his mother declined to comment.
"My clients are very pleased that the case is moving along so quickly," said Atty. Sarah Kovoor, who represents the Woolfs.
Atty. Dominic Vitantonio, who represents Martin, said his client was not subpoenaed to appear. Martin, who is also a captain on the Howland Police Department, was suspended from both jobs last week.
The FBI and agents from the state Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation are investigating Martin.
An FBI agent; Jeff Hoolihan, a city police officer assigned to work with the FBI; Howland Police Chief Paul Monroe; and former township Police Chief Steve Lamantia also testified.
Dave Toepfer, an assistant Trumbull County prosecutor handling the case, declined to say when the grand jury may report or if additional testimony will be presented.
What's happening
Monroe wrote a letter to Martin last month stating that FBI agent Ronald Helmick told him that agents were investigating Martin for possible criminal charges and civil rights violations. Martin has not been charged.
Vitantonio has said that he does not believe Martin will face any criminal charges. He said that Martin used corporal punishment in his diversion program only in limited cases and that when paddling was used, the juvenile and parents both agreed.
The Woolfs have also filed suit.
Kovoor said her client was forced to take off his pants and had welts when the paddling was finished. She noted that the children being paddled were also videotaped.
Vitantonio, however, stressed that the reason the paddlings were videotaped was to protect everyone's rights. He has not seen the tapes, he said.
The tapes have been confiscated by law enforcement officials who searched Martin's home and office.
sinkovich@vindy.com