What price justice? For this victim, two weeks of work

What price justice? For this victim, two weeks of work
EDITOR:
Our justice system (I hesitate to call it justice) is terribly out of whack. Let me explain. A friend of mine, who happens to be a private contractor and small businessman, stopped at a local general mega-hardware store in Boardman where he was buying some supplies for a job that he was then working on in the Boardman area. When after 15 minutes of shopping he returned to this truck and was loading the recent purchases into his side storage cabinet he immediately noted that thousands of dollars worth of tools were missing. He knew they had been there when he left the job about 25 minutes previously, because he had been using them.
My friend immediately notified the Boardman Police Department and within approximately two hours the thieves were apprehended in another area where they were attempting to peddle some other stolen goods, video tapes. The police called my friend and said that they had located his stolen tools. That's the good news. When my friend arrived at the scene of the apprehension of the thieves and the site of his stolen property, he naturally asked for his tools. He was told that they were now the property of the Boardman Police Department as they were considered evidence of a crime. My friend appreciated their position but said that his livelihood depended on completing the job that he was working on, and to do that he needed his tools. The answer was no.
My friend was told he would have to appear in court to testify in one week when the culprits were arraigned. That means one week with no tools to complete the job. When my friend appeared at a Mahoning County Court last week exactly at the 10 a.m. as told, he was kept waiting for four hours until other cases were addressed. That is common in our inefficient court system. When the thieves appeared without counsel, my friend was told to return in one week for another court appearance. He pleaded with the judge to release his tools so that he could get on with his work. The judge refused.
Now I ask, "Where is the justice in this turn of events?" My friend, the victim not the criminal, has lost two weeks of income and the thieves are going to be housed, fed and legally represented at the taxpayers' expense. If I am missing something here, would some judge please set me straight? My friend would have been better off reporting the theft to his insurance company. His tools would have been quickly replaced and the thieves would have gotten off scot-free to steal again.
C.H. McGOWEN, M.D.
Howland
County's new dog wardenmust be willing to bite back
EDITOR:
It's sad to hear of people who are chased and or bitten by loose dogs, and nothing seems to be done about it. The owners are not held responsible, and it seems that the dog warden's office has not been tough on enforcement.
Cyclists and children have a right to be protected, as well as the people in the neighborhoods where some inconsiderate, irresponsible, lawbreaking, dog owners reside.
Soon the list of seven candidates will produce one new dog warden for the county, and it is my prayer he or she will be tough on enforcement and bite back for the good and safety of every citizen in Mahoning County.
CHARLES ELLIS
Youngstown
Kudos to the Red Cross,Youngstown firefighters
EDITOR:
Please allow me a small place in the paper to thank the Youngstown Fire Department and American Red Cross. Due to the quick response time and fine work done by the YFD, a fire was contained to the basement of my house on Sunshine Avenue on May 25.
My deepest gratitude is owed for a job well done. Also to the two ladies from the Red Cross who were there within hours with hotel accommodations and a food voucher, your help was much, much appreciated.
WALT BOZIS
Youngstown