Attempted child rape

Attempted child rape
WARREN -- A 34-year-old Girard man was sentenced to two years in Lorain Correctional Institution and up to five years' probation for attempted rape of a minor. Joseph Hopkins of 30 Scott Lane appeared for the sentencing Wednesday in the Trumbull County Common Pleas courtroom of Judge W. Wyatt McKay. Upon release from prison, he will have to register as a sexually oriented offender and will not be allowed to live within 1,000 feet of a school. Hopkins pleaded guilty to the second-degree felony Nov. 16. Hopkins' indictment said the offense involved a victim younger than 13 and occurred in June.
Commissioner candidate
NILES -- Frank Fuda, nine-term city councilman and long-time Democrat, said he will run for the Democratic party's nomination for Trumbull County commissioner. Fuda represents the city's 1st Ward and will announce his candidacy at 3 p.m. Sunday at Ciminero's Banquet Center, 123 N. Main St.
Purse-snatch suspect
AUSTINTOWN -- A man accused of trying to steal a woman's purse at the Shell station on Mahoning Avenue was in court Wednesday and will be back for a preliminary hearing at 10 a.m. Jan. 18. John Lee, 39, of Austintown, is charged with robbery, a second-degree felony, after a 20-year-old woman was dragged across the gas station parking lot and North Edgehill Avenue Monday afternoon as her purse was being stolen. He remained in the Mahoning County jail in lieu of $50,000 bond. A suspect in a Jan. 4 purse-snatching outside McDonald's on Raccoon Road also was in court. Eric Begley, 20, of Austintown, charged with complicity to robbery, had his case bound over to a Mahoning County grand jury. Another suspect in that case, Robert R. Carfolo Jr., 24, of Youngstown, is to appear in County Court No. 4 Jan. 30 for a preliminary hearing. In that purse-snatching, a 74-year-old woman was shoved to the ground.
Bullets hit house
YOUNGSTOWN -- Several shots from a 9 mm handgun were fired into a house in the 400 block of Kenmore Avenue around 1:45 a.m. Wednesday, police said. Three bullets traveled through the front of the house, shattering the front window and hitting an interior wall. A bullet also hit the bathroom mirror. A man who has been shot at before was in the basement and refused to talk to police.
Chiropractic office fire
SHARPSVILLE, Pa. -- An apparent electrical problem caused a fire at Joseph Chiropractic at 40 S. Walnut St. Firefighters from Sharpsville, Hermitage and South Pymatuning Township were called to the building at 8:52 a.m. Wednesday. Sharpsville Fire Chief Andy Totin said the building was closed the rest of the day as workers cleaned up the debris. No patients were in the office when the fire started and no one was injured, Totin said. The building and practice are owned by Dr. Matthew Joseph.
Pulaski permits go up
PULASKI, Pa. -- Township supervisors have revised the rates for various permits to cover costs. All permit fees were increased by $5 with the exception of construction permits issued by the code administrator. Those fees were increased from a municipal fee of $5 to $20. Temporary-sign permits were increased from $10 to $20.
Consortium agent
NEW MIDDLETOWN -- The Springfield Board of Education approved appointment of the district as the fiscal agent for the Mahoning County Insurance Consortium, effective March 1. The move was unanimously approved Dec. 21 by the General Assembly of the Mahoning Insurance consortium. The position was previously held by Austintown School District, which will be pulling out of the consortium along with Boardman schools, effective July 1. Fourteen Mahoning County school districts participate in the consortium. Those that don't include Sebring and Youngstown.
Robbery suspect's bond
YOUNGSTOWN -- Bond was set Wednesday in municipal court at $130,000 for Devron Pinkard, 18, of Parkvista Drive. He is charged with aggravated robbery, kidnapping and carrying a concealed weapon. He will be back in court Jan. 20. Police said he robbed and tried to drive off with an Austintown man Tuesday on the East Side. Several people in the McGuffey Road area witnessed the crime and watched him until police arrived.