Tower climber speaks his piece

The man faces charges of breaking and entering and disrupting public service.
YOUNGSTOWN -- When the mayor wasn't available, a man atop a television tower took his case to radio talk show host Robert Mangino.
James C. Johnson, 35, of Pointview Avenue climbed the Doppler radar tower at WYTV Channel 33 at 3800 Shady Run Road about 3 a.m. Friday to display a blue tarp with "Pardon Traficant" written on it in large black letters, city police said.
He surrendered to police only after talking with Mangino for several minutes on the air at Radio WKBN-AM 570.
Employees first noticed the man about 7:40 a.m. and called police. When they arrived, police discovered Johnson at the top of the 100-foot tower. Johnson first asked to speak with Mayor George McKelvey, but police informed him that the mayor was out of town and not available. At that point, the Youngstown Fire Department arrived and called a ladder truck to the scene.
After Johnson talked with Mangino, the fire department used a ladder bucket to retrieve Johnson without incident, police said.
"We certainly appreciated the cooperation in that regard," David Trabert, WYTV general manager, said of Mangino's efforts.
Charges
Police charged Johnson with breaking and entering and disrupting public service. Johnson told police that he rode his bicycle to the station about 3 a.m. and climbed the fence around the tower. Once inside, he used a lock and chain he had brought with him to secure the fence's gate.
Johnson also had a yellow nylon tow rope which he used as a safety harness, police said.
He disconnected several plug connections on the tower and secured the tarp with eight pieces of rope and a pulley. He also brought along a flashlight, electrical tape, 10 compact discs, a CD player with headphones, cigarettes and lighters.
Johnson unplugged the Radome -- the Doppler radar device the station uses for its weather forecasts, Trabert said.