Cops find wanted man and get bonus arrest

The judge ordered that the sheriff not release the men unless bonds are posted.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Members of two fugitive task forces got a bonus arrest on the North Side when they found a man accused of beating his girlfriend at Christmastime.
Acting on a tip, members of the Mahoning Valley Violent Crimes Task Force and U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force went looking Tuesday for 34-year-old Rodney Smith at an apartment on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Smith was arrested on charges of assault and kidnapping that were filed after he was accused of restraining and beating his girlfriend on Dec. 24.
On Jan. 3. the woman obtained a domestic violence civil protection order against Smith that was to remain in effect until Jan. 17. The order was issued by a Mahoning County Common Pleas Court magistrate.
Aside from assault and kidnapping warrants, records show that Smith was also wanted on bench warrants issued in September in common pleas court. He failed to show for two separate cases -- tampering with evidence and nonsupport.
Must post bond
At arraignment Wednesday in municipal court, Judge Elizabeth A. Kobly set Smith's bond at $60,000 cash or surety and ordered that he not be released from jail unless the bond is posted. Smith, who has several addresses in the city, will be back in court Jan. 18 for a preliminary hearing.
Under the emergency release mechanism devised by common pleas judges that began March 31, 2005, Mahoning County jail inmates who qualify are let out regardless of whether they post bond. Several weeks ago, municipal judges began ordering the sheriff to hold certain inmates until they post bond.
During Smith's arrest, meanwhile, the task force members came across 33-year-old Troy Cunningham and, during a pat-down search, found a loaded .38-caliber handgun in his coat pocket. White chunks, believed to be crack cocaine, and a crack pipe were also found on Cunningham, police said. The chunks, when tested, came back negative for cocaine.
Once under arrest, Troy Cunningham, who lives in an apartment on MLK Boulevard, identified himself as Christopher Cunningham and gave police a false Social Security number and date of birth, records show. A deputy at the jail discovered the subterfuge.
Charges
Troy Cunningham faces charges of carrying a concealed weapon, possession of counterfeit drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia, falsification and having a weapon under disability, meaning he's charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Judge Kobly set his bond at $50,000 cash or surety and ordered that he not be released from jail unless the bond is posted.
He will be back in court Jan. 18 for a preliminary hearing.
Anthony J. Farris, chief assistant city prosecutor, told Judge Kobly that Cunningham has a long criminal record that includes burglary, domestic violence, drugs and resisting arrest.
meade@vindy.com