Thursday, January 26, 2006
The township needs to spend this year on heavy equipment, trustees were told.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
HOWLAND -- Three Howland police officers have been honored by the FBI for initiating the probe that uncovered a murder-for-hire scheme.
Cited for their work during Wednesday's township trustees meeting were patrol officers Jennifer Carr, Richard Platt and Jeffrey Zelinsky.
"I would like to express our thanks and appreciation to these officers and your entire department," Theodore R. Wasky, special agent in charge of the FBI in northern Ohio, wrote Police Chief Paul Monroe.
The letter was delivered by special agent John Kane, resident agent in charge of the FBI's field office in Boardman.
They were cited for their "professionalism and diligence" in the March 19, 2005, arrest of Maridee Costanzo, a local defense attorney at the time, and William Cindea of Warren during a traffic stop.
What happened
During the stop, officers found a loaded .38-caliber handgun in the front of Costanzo's jeans. At the time, she told police the gun belonged to Cindea, the driver. He had a stun gun and 4-inch knife on him.
Based on the information gathered because of the stop, the FBI was able to establish that Costanzo, a former congressional candidate from Warren, wanted Cindea to find someone to kill her estranged husband, Warren lawyer Roger Bauer.
She was eventually sentenced to eight years in federal prison for the attempted contract killing. She was also convicted in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court of a weapons violation.
Cindea was convicted of being a felon in possession of a weapon.
Also during the trustees meeting, David L. McCann, public works department director, explained his activities for 2005.
McCann said the increased number of cul-de-sacs slows down snow-removal activities. He explained that the township now has 53 such streets. Because they take an addition 10 to 15 minutes to clear, it reduces plowing in the township.
The department spent nearly $1.3 million in 2005, which is 14.5 percent less than the nearly $1.5 million spent in 2004.
One of the reasons for the decrease is because there were no significant equipment purchases. That may change this year as the department needs two dump trucks, a pickup truck and chipper replacement, he said.
The department's North River Road building roof needs to be replaced and will cost between $30,000 and $40,000.
The township sealed cracks on 7.4 miles with the use of part-time summer help. This will extend the life of the roads by two to three years before they need resurfaced, he said.
yovich@vindy.com