County takes the blame for dropped 911 call

Police plan to file various vandalism charges against a juvenile and an adult.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mahoning County 911 Center was at fault for a dropped call never relayed to New Middletown police, and the problem has been corrected, said Clark Jones, Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency operations manager.
New Middletown Mayor Robert Carson said at Monday's council meeting a resident complained that police never responded to a call about vandalism Saturday morning. The call went through the 911 center, but was never passed on to police. Carson said Monday that village police were not at fault.
Jones looked into the problem and said Wednesday a faulty recorder caused the call to be lost. The equipment problem is being corrected, and he discussed the situation with the dispatchers on duty Saturday. Jones said the situation won't happen again.
Sgt. Vincent D'Egidio of New Middletown police said Wednesday he is happy that county officials took full responsibility for the problem and that the dropped call was not about a life-threatening situation.
"We have some disappointment, but we have full faith and confidence in the 911 system," D'Egidio said. "They do a fantastic job."
Vandalism at church
He said the call never relayed to them was about vandalism around 3 a.m. Saturday at Zion Lutheran Church on Main Street. He said that after talking to the pastor, they interviewed a 16-year-old who admitted vandalism of the church gazebo and benches, and gave them the name of an 18-year-old man who was also involved.
D'Egidio said the department plans charges of theft, curfew violation, criminal trespassing, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and injuring trees. He said the juvenile and adult used pieces of broken porcelain from a toilet to break the lattice work of the gazebo and a stolen ax to damage park benches and break limbs off trees.
He said in looking for applicable charges, he discovered the charge of injuring trees, which can apply when live trees are damaged. He said the charge is a fourth-degree misdemeanor and carries possible penalties of up to 30 days in jail and a $250 fine.