TRAFFIC Police kept busy again on the road

A 16-year-old boy matches the description of a suspect in a series of robberies.
YOUNGSTOWN -- From 12:40 a.m. Friday through 6:15 p.m. Saturday, 10 drivers were charged with not having a valid license, the same number cited the week before in fewer hours.
It took only 11 hours the previous Friday and Saturday (Nov. 26-27) for city cops to charge 10 drivers with driving under suspension.
Detective Sgt. Jerry Shuster was called in just past midnight Friday after the arrest of an unlicensed 16-year-old boy who was caught driving a stolen vehicle. Police said the boy matches the description of a suspect in a series of South Side robberies. Shuster's investigation continues today.
The pursuit began at 11:55 p.m. Friday. Patrolman Jason Simon saw a white 1986 Chevrolet Celebrity with its trunk lock missing and driving in a circular pattern on side streets off Market Street. The car had been reported stolen about an hour earlier.
The driver of the Celebrity, during the pursuit, ran stop signs and red lights, nearly causing two accidents.
The car eventually turned into a driveway in the 300 block of East Auburndale Avenue, crashed through the closed garage door and the garage's rear wall. The car came to a stop in the back yard.
They all ran
After the crash, the driver, of East Boston Avenue and his two passengers ran. By then, backup officers had arrived and the Celebrity's occupants were caught.
A South Side girl who had been along for the ride was released to her mother.
The 16-year-old driver was arrested on charges of driving without a driver's license, receiving stolen property (the car), possession of criminal tools (screwdriver) and failure to comply with a police order.
His neighbor, a 15-year-old, was arrested on charges of receiving stolen property (the car) and resisting arrest.
Both teenagers were taken to the Martin P. Joyce Juvenile Justice Center. The Celebrity was towed and held for detectives and crime lab officers.
A Boardman man, meanwhile, was the first to receive a DUS citation early Friday and has been arraigned in municipal court. The remaining eight adult drivers, whether issued a citation or taken to the Mahoning County jail, were due in court today.
At 12:40 a.m. Friday, Patrolman Daniel Tickerhoof spotted a Mercury Cougar traveling west on McGuffey Road with no headlights and pulled it over.
The driver, Ray Maggianetti, 27, of Paxton Road, Boardman, was issued citations charging DUS, fictitious plates and lighted lights required. The officer's reports shows that the plates on the Cougar belong on a Chevrolet.
Maggianetti pleaded innocent at arraignment Friday morning. He will be back in court Jan. 14 for a pretrial.
Tags were noticed
Temporary tags on a 1991 Pontiac Grand Am that expired Nov. 16 caught the attention of three Street Crimes Unit patrolmen on Atkinson Avenue at 9:20 a.m. Friday.
The driver, 18-year-old David A. Floyd, pulled into his driveway in the 1700 block of Atkinson then jumped out and ran through back yards, police said.
Floyd was arrested on charges of no driver's license, expired plates and aggravated trafficking in crack cocaine. Police said they found 13 packaged-for-sale bags of suspected crack on the front driver's seat. He was taken to jail.
At 3:30 p.m. Friday, officer Simon was westbound on Mahoning Avenue and saw a blue Chevrolet van with a cracked windshield and obstructed front license plate. The driver, Donald Ritenour III, 32, of Brookline Avenue was issued a citation charging DUS and unsafe vehicle.
When Patrolman Douglas Pesa checked out a report of a driver stopped in the road on West Auburndale Avenue around 7 p.m. Friday, the car moved on. Pesa then noticed that the 1983 Chevrolet Chevette's license registration had expired in December 2002 and pulled it over.
The driver, Tom Hauck, 29, of Sandy Lane, North Jackson, immediately told the officer, "I don't have a license -- it may be suspended," reports show. A check revealed that Hauck has five DUS convictions, police said.
Pipe fell out of pants
Reports show that when a suspected crack pipe fell out of Hauck's left pant leg, he told the officer: "I didn't know that was in my pants, I would have told you."
Hauck was issued a citation charging DUS and possession of drug paraphernalia. The Chevette was towed and held for court, and Hauck was released to his mother.
At 10:50 p.m. Friday, Simon was patrolling Princeton Avenue on the South Side when he saw a Buick with no light on the rear license plate and pulled it over. A check showed that the driver, Roland E. Torres, 40, of Matta Avenue, has 10 open license suspensions, police said.
Torres was issued a citation charging DUS and failure to illuminate rear plate. The car was left at the scene for its owner and Torres was driven home.
Around 12:30 a.m. Saturday, Patrolmen Rick Baldwin and Robert Kuti were working on the South Side when they saw a 1995 Dodge van missing a front headlight and no light on the rear license plate.
The driver, Tonya D. Rushton, 32, of Lowell Avenue, Boardman, was stopped on South Avenue. She was issued a citation charging DUS. The car was released to her boyfriend with her permission.
After a one-car accident on I-680, the driver, Lynn M. Bowden, was issued a DUS citation at St. Elizabeth Health Center at 1 a.m. Saturday by Patrolman Brian Booksing. Reports show Bowden, 25, of Tod Lane, had his license suspended for failure to pay child support.
Tried to ram cruiser
During a police pursuit that began on Wick Avenue around 2 a.m. Saturday, the driver of a black Dodge tried to ram Patrolman Carlo Eggelston's cruiser three times, reports show. Police said that, during one attempt to strike the cruiser, the driver of the Dodge spun out and traveled over the sidewalk on Market Street downtown.
Police said Danny A. Elrod, 29, of Sixth Street, Warren, drove at a high rate of speed during the pursuit, which ended in the 200 block of Williamson Avenue. He pulled into the yard and ran, reports show.
Several officers who chased Elrod landed on him in a pile of tires and bushes.
Elrod, who complained that he couldn't get up, was checked out at St. Elizabeth Health Center. He was arrested on charges of DUS, resisting arrest and failure to comply with a police order and taken to jail.
Patrolman Patrick Mulligan stopped an 1991 Oldsmobile Delta 88 on Cohasset Drive at 2:50 a.m. Saturday when the driver failed to signal a turn. The driver, Lizelle Shorter, 39, of West Warren Avenue was given a citation charging DUS and failure to signal a turn. The car was towed for safekeeping.
At 6:15 p.m. Saturday Tenesha R. Thomas, 31, of Benita Avenue, was stopped on Market Street because she the 1994 Oldsmobile she was driving had no headlights on. Patrolmen Brian Flynn and Brian Butler, who were working a Weed and Seed detail on the South Side, issued Thomas citation charging DUS and headlights required. The officers released the car to her passenger, who has a valid license.