Mayor says crime report wasn't relayed to police

The village will receive a $99,000 grant to install streetlights.
By MARY GRZEBIENIAK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NEW MIDDLETOWN -- A 911 call early Saturday, which brought no response, was not the village's fault, Mayor Robert Carson told village council.
Carson said a resident called 911 just before 3 a.m. to report a juvenile was committing vandalism in the village. The call went to the Mahoning County 911 Center, which dispatches for the village police department at no cost.
The initial investigation, Carson said, showed that the call was never relayed to New Middletown police. He added that the 911 center will address the dispatcher who was at fault.
Clark Jones, Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency operations manager, said Tuesday he is investigating the matter and declined to comment until he speaks to the parties involved.
Police Sgt. Ken Goist, who attended Monday's meeting, said that the young vandal has been apprehended.
Carson said he looked into the matter after the resident who made the 911 call asked him about the lack of response. He said he wanted to make it clear that village police had not ignored the call.
Development funds
Also Monday, Carson reported it is likely the village will receive a $99,000 grant through the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments. The village has applied for funding to install street lighting in the center of the village and to extend the sidewalk on the west side of Route 170.
Council also agreed to hire M & amp;M Excavating, New Middletown, to remove a tree stump in front of the village administration building, replace the sidewalk and plant grass for up to $750. The work was needed because of the recent removal of a tree in front of the building.
Councilman Harry Kale asked whether any progress had been made on testing fire hydrants. Carson said the fire department has been doing some testing and Aqua Ohio water company is expected to flush hydrants in the next few weeks.