Man faces assault charge

Man faces assault charge
AUSTINTOWN -- A Calloway Circle man was charged with felonious assault and DUI after his live-in girlfriend accused him of ramming into the car she was driving. The woman told police that she and Michael C. Lalli, 31, argued at a Mahoning Avenue bar Friday evening and she borrowed a friend's car to drive home. She said Lalli followed her, yelling at her at a red light and trying to run her off the road. In the 4400 block of Norquest Boulevard, the woman said Lalli rammed into the back of the car she was driving.
Man tries to take purse
AUSTINTOWN -- A township woman told police that a man tried to take her purse while she was loading groceries into her car at a Kirk Road store. The woman said a man came up to her in the parking lot of Rulli Bros. about 10 a.m. Friday and asked her for the time. He then pulled a small paring knife and demanded the woman's purse. She hit the panic button on her key chain causing her car's horn and lights to go off and the man fled east on Kirk Road in a blue or green Pontiac Grand Am.
Man says he was shot at
WARREN -- Someone took a shot at a Second Street man who got money from the city last year after claiming violation of constitutional rights during a traffic stop. Willie Summerlin, 51, of 787 Second St., reported the aggravated menacing to city police Friday morning. He said a man he knows shot at him, then made threats. No arrests were noted on the police report. Summerlin last year filed a complaint with the police department. He said when police stopped him Dec. 30, 2003, on Iowa Street Southwest and accused him of going through a red light, they subjected him to a pat-down search in which they went through his pockets and grabbed his crotch. Summerlin filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Youngstown against the city, and a $16,500 financial settlement was reached; two officers were disciplined.
Tornado drill planned
HOWLAND -- The fire department in cooperation with Howland Schools will conduct a tornado drill at 9:50 a.m. Wednesday. Residents should be aware that the department will activate all nine of the township's emergency warning sirens during the test.
Church cash taken
WARREN -- Two men are charged with taking cash from Blessed Sacrament Church, following a five-week probe by city and Howland Township police. Lt. Thomas Skoczylas, the city's narcotics division commander, said a felony warrant is issued for Joseph Shaker of Warren in the theft of $7,200 in cash from the 3020 Reeves Road N.E. church. A misdemeanor warrant charges Gary Givens of Warren with theft of $310. Skoczylas said the money had been donated to or collected by the church. When receipts didn't match what was in the coffers, an investigation began.
Social workers events
YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown State University will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Association of Social Workers on Wednesday in Cushwa Hall. Elaine Stepp. NASW Ohio chapter's executive director, and Judy Mendenhall, its president, will speak at a celebration at 2:15 p.m. in the hall's first-floor atrium. The annual YSU Social Work Field Fair will be at the same location from 2 to 4 p.m. About 25 to 30 social work agencies are participating in the field fair, which provides students with information on possible internship or career opportunities.
Security talks continue
YOUNGSTOWN -- Judges from Mahoning County Common Pleas Court met with Sheriff Randall Wellington and a representative from the Ohio Supreme Court to continue ongoing discussions on courthouse security Monday. Because the meeting dealt with specifics about security measures, the judges offered no comment after the session.