Paddling-case cop to appear in court

The police chief was secretly indicted by a grand jury.
& lt;a href=mailto:sinkovich@vindy.com & gt;By PEGGY SINKOVICH & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Fowler Township Police Chief James Martin is expected to be in court today to be arraigned on charges including dereliction of duty and misdemeanor assault counts.
A Trumbull County grand jury secretly indicted Martin earlier this week.
State and federal officials are investigating Martin's juvenile diversion program, which used corporal punishment. The program was being operated out of the Fowler Township Police Department.
Neither Martin, who is also a full-time police captain in Howland, nor Atty. Dominic Vitantonio, who represents him on a potential criminal matter, could be reached to comment.
Martin is scheduled to appear in Judge John Stuard's Trumbull County Common Pleas Courtroom later today. He has been placed on unpaid suspension from both jobs.
Dave Toepfer, an assistant Trumbull County prosecutor handling the case, declined to comment.
What happened
Martin spent 21/2 hours testifying in front of the grand jury last week. The grand jury met six times to hear evidence in Martin's case.
Three teenagers have filed federal civil suits against Martin, saying they were paddled as part of the diversion program.
Vitantonio has said Martin used corporal punishment in his diversion program only in limited cases. When paddling was used, the juvenile and parents both agreed beforehand, he added.
& lt;a href=mailto:sinkovich@vindy.com & gt;sinkovich@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;