FALSIFICATION CHARGES

Falsification charges
AUSTINTOWN -- A woman charged with falsification over a report that a township police officer forced sex on her and hit her has been arrested. Township police report that Charmin Merchant, 34, was arrested Wednesday night at her home in Amanda, Ohio. She is being extradited from Amanda, and is expected to arrive for her arraignment in Mahoning County Court here Monday. Police say Merchant lied when she told them the officer, with whom she had had a relationship, forced sex on her and hit her Feb. 14.
Goshen park grant
GOSHEN -- The township has received a $20,268 land and water conservation grant from the U.S. Department of Natural Resources to develop a trail and two picnic pavilions at Bricker Homestead Park. The township will match that amount to pay for the project.
Homicide ruling
WARREN -- The Trumbull County Coroner's office has ruled the death of Quante J. Pruitt, 24, of Hall Street a homicide and listed the cause of death as a perforating gunshot wound to the head. Pruitt was shot at a house at 1078 Miller St. in Warren Township about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. A second victim, a man in his 20s, whom police declined to identify, was treated at St. Joseph Health Center after being shot in the hand.
Targeting drinking
BELOIT -- The Goshen Police District will be conducting extra patrols this weekend targeting underage drinking. Fifth-grade pupils participating in West Branch Schools Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program will be recognized at the West Branch-Salem high school boys basketball game tonight and be eligible for prizes. Detective Brian Newhard, Goshen Police District's school resource officer, will receive the keys to a 2006 Chevrolet Monte Carlo donated by Stratton Chevrolet for use as a D.A.R.E. vehicle.
Charged in dogs' deaths
BOARDMAN -- Police issued a warrant charging the owner of a Melrose Avenue home where two dogs perished with cruelty to a companion animal. Police issued the warrant through Mahoning County Court here for the arrest of Laura J. Entrikin, whose last known address is 388 Melrose Ave. Police and township zoning department officials found the two dead dogs among the squalor of trash and debris in the house this week. Neighbors told officials Entrikin, the homeowner, hasn't lived in the house for weeks.
Safety course at JCC
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Mahoning Chapter of the American Red Cross is offering a Water Safety Instructor course from 6 to 9 p.m. on Mondays, beginning Monday and running through May 22, at the Jewish Community Center, 505 Gypsy Lane. The cost is $110. To register, call (330) 726-6063.
Won't press charges
YOUNGSTOWN -- A Hudson Avenue mother who told police a teenage boy shot at her 16-year-old son with a semiautomatic weapon declined to pursue charges, reports show. The mother said Wednesday afternoon that her son and the other boy had been fighting, police said.
Gospel music show
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mount Zion Church Youth and Young Adult Ministry, in honor of Black History Month, will put on the play "Jus' Churchin': A Celebration of Music from Now to Then" at 6 p.m. Saturday at the church, 827 Wilson Ave. The play is free, but donations will be accepted. The production focuses on gospel music throughout the history of blacks in America. There will be a dessert sampler after the performance.