Woman, dog shot in drug deal

YOUNGSTOWN -- A woman and a pit bull dog were shot at 630 Fairgreen Ave. around 1 a.m. Wednesday in what was first reported as a home invasion but later determined to be a drug transaction gone bad, police said.
Chrystal Hall, 24, who lives at the Fairgreen house, was treated for a gunshot wound to her arm. It wasn't immediately clear if the dog, shot in the chest, survived.
After police sorted out what happened, two men who had been at the house were arrested.
Loren C. Webb, 26, who also lives in the Fairgreen house, was charged with aggravated trafficking in drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia (scale). He was also served with a warrant for failure to appear in municipal court on a traffic charge. Police found $1,628 in his pants pocket. Officers also confiscated several packaged-for-sale bags of suspected marijuana.
Ernest K. Cottle II, 20, of Bryson Street was charged with aggravated trafficking in drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia (scale). Police were initially told that three gunmen had entered the house in a robbery attempt, with one shooting Hall and the dog. Webb and Cottle were arraigned Wednesday in municipal court and will return Wednesday for a pretrial.