Trial set to begin for man suspected in robbery spree

Tuesday, August 22, 2006 WARREN — A 36-year-old Niles man is set to go on trial today to face 12 felony charges related to five robberies and a burglary during an 11-day period in November 2004. Michael H. Goodman of Olive Street faces charges of robbing Country Fair and Niles Inn on Youngstown-Warren Road, Warren; Manfredi's Pizza on Vienna Avenue; Cheap Tobacco on North Road; and Pit-N-Git on Robbins, all in Niles; and a house on Tod Avenue in Lordstown. Goodman also faces several other related charges, including kidnapping, tampering with evidence and being a felon in possession of a weapon, said Chris Becker, assistant Trumbull County prosecutor. Becker estimated that Goodman could face 25 to 30 years in prison if convicted on all charges. The trial is before Judge Andrew Logan of common pleas court. The judge told jurors Monday to expect the trial to last until Thursday or Friday. Police have accused Goodman of committing some of the robberies with a shotgun and some with a pellet gun, Becker said. Goodman has been incarcerated in the county jail since his arrest in November 2004.