School choking

School choking
GIRARD -- A Highland Street woman told police her 15-year-old son was choked by another pupil Tuesday in the restroom at Girard Intermediate School. The woman told police her son went into the restroom and another pupil wrapped a string around his neck from behind. Police reports say the boy had a scratch across his neck. Police are investigating and interviewing pupils.
Woman shot in legs
WARREN -- A 35-year-old Jackson Street woman was in stable condition Thursday in St. Joseph Health Center after being shot in both legs with a handgun Wednesday evening. Police said they found Malinda Penezich lying on the ground on Southwest Boulevard near Ferndale Avenue, after being dispatched there at 9:45 p.m. She was taken by ambulance to the hospital.
Public indecency
GIRARD -- A 46-year-old Liberty Township man charged with one count of misdemeanor public indecency will be back in court at 1 p.m. Oct. 26. Police say Ellwood Blair of Hadley Avenue drove up to a drive-through window at an East Liberty convenience store Saturday just after 11 p.m. and exposed himself to the employee at the window. Police said Blair was attempting to enter the drive-through a second time when he was arrested. Blair pleaded innocent at a preliminary hearing Tuesday.
Sweepers for charity
BOARDMAN -- Harris Sew and Vac is collecting used vacuum cleaners from customers as part of The Great American Sweeper Swap, a national campaign to provide reconditioned sweepers to charity.
Kathie Harris, owner of Harris Sew and Vac, said donated sweepers will be reconditioned at her store at 52 Boardman-Canfield Road and donated to Hospice of the Valley.
Customers who donate a used sweeper through Sept. 30 also will receive a discount off the purchase of a new vacuum cleaner.
Hospice of the Valley provides end-of-life care and support for the terminally ill and their families, and works to educate the public about end-of-life issues such as dealing with grief.
Shots target policeman
YOUNGSTOWN -- Shots were fired at a patrolman who stopped his cruiser in the 500 block of East Pasadena Avenue around 1:30 a.m. Thursday. The officer heard two shots and took cover back in his cruiser. Backup officers arrived to search the area, including a house where the shots may have come from. A 19-year-old man staying at a house gave officers consent to search the place. Three other teenagers were in the house, including an 18-year-old woman from Boardman. Police found a .45-caliber round on the floor and collected it as evidence. The case was turned over to detectives.
Felony drug indictments
AUSTINTOWN -- A township woman was arrested on four felony drug indictments in connection with the sale of the pain-killer OxyContin.
Austintown police report that Sandra Singleton, 61, 131 Atlanta Ave., was arrested Wednesday at her residence on a warrant from Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.
Singleton was secretly indicted Aug. 25 by the Mahoning County Grand Jury.
She was put into the Mahoning County Jail without bond, according to Austintown police.
Red ATV was stolen
YOUNGSTOWN -- A red Suzuki All-Terrain Vehicle traveling on Jackson Street on Wednesday evening was stolen in July from Mercer, Pa., police said. The operator, Aundrea Perez, 18, of Park Heights was caught after abandoning the ATV near Ayers Street on the East Side and running into a wooded area. His companion was not caught. Perez was charged with receiving stolen property and operation of an ATV on a street. He was arraigned Thursday in municipal court, where bond was set at $5,000. He will be back in court Oct. 21 for a preliminary hearing.