Purse theft reported

Purse theft reported
YOUNGSTOWN -- An 81-year-old Elva Avenue woman had her purse snatched when she set her cane down and was in the process of placing her purse on an outdoor table so she could unlock her front door, police said. The crime happened around 10:20 p.m. Monday. The victim told police that she returned from the Boardman Plaza and parked in the driveway. She described the thief as a dark black man in his late 20s or early 30s, 6 feet tall and 200 pounds with short black hair, wearing a blue T-shirt and blue jeans. She said he ran up on her porch, grabbed the purse and then ran to a black full-size van parked in front of her house with its engine running and lights turned off. She didn't recall seeing the van when she pulled up. Police suspect she may have been followed home.
Illegal aliens stopped
MERCER, Pa. -- Three men stopped for speeding on Interstate 80 were found to be in this country illegally. Pennsylvania State Police said Luis Eduardo Jiminez-Chuva, 36, Luis Geovanny Jiminez-Vinan, 31, and Lauro Mesias Marca-Pesantez, 29, were stopped at 9:25 a.m. Monday. They were turned over to immigration officials in Pittsburgh, police said.
Computer stolen
BOARDMAN -- A Market Street building that will house the new police substation was broken into Monday and a laptop computer stolen. The thieves broke out a rear window of the building, known as Amstutz Investments at 5000 Market. It is owned by Davis Funeral Home. Police Chief Jeffrey Patterson said that the space for the substation will be equipped with a security system when the department moves in.
Lawsuit fee increases
WARREN -- The fee for filing a lawsuit in the Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas has risen from $150 to $165, Clerk of Courts Karen Infante Allen said. She said the increase, which took effect Oct. 1, comes because of a surcharge contained in the last state budget for legal aid. That surcharge increased from $15 to $26 on civil filings, the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation wrote in a letter to Infante-Allen. One dollar of the surcharge will be set aside by the state treasurer to support the Ohio Public Defender's Office.
War protests scheduled
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Valley Coalition for Peace and Justice, a citizens group, will have a peace vigil in protest of the war in Iraq from 5 to 6 p.m. the first Friday of every month outside the Thomas D. Lambros Federal Courthouse Building, at Market and East Front streets. For more information, call (330) 746-8547.
Robbery at gunpoint
YOUNGSTOWN -- An Edwards Street man who answered a knock at his back door around 11:15 p.m. Monday was robbed at gunpoint of his $900 SSI monthly allotment, reports show. Supplemental Security Income is a federal cash assistance program for the disabled or those who have little or no income. The 58-year-old victim said two white men, both about 6 feet and 230 pounds and wearing masks over their faces, forced him into his basement after he gave them the money. He believes the robbers know him or his routine because they asked for the exact amount of his SSI payment and did not take anything else.
Death ruled accidental
EAST LIVERPOOL -- A Detroit man's death in a house fire early Monday has been ruled an accident. Dejon Sibert, 21, died of carbon monoxide poisoning, Columbiana County Coroner Dr. William Graham said Tuesday. Graham said the fire apparently started when Sibert fell asleep while smoking. He was staying at the house at 1099 Monaca St. in the city's East End. The renters of the house were away.
Siren test planned
HERMITAGE, Pa. -- The city fire department will conduct its monthly test of the city's weather warning sirens at 10 a.m. Thursday. The test also will include the activation of the Clark, Farrell, Sharpsville, West Middlesex and Wheatland weather sirens.