Three injured in 5-car wreck

One driver was cited for operating a vehicle while impaired.
BOARDMAN -- What police initially thought was a burglary call ended with three people taken to the hospital, three police cars damaged and a police dog taken to the vet.
Capt. Jerre Patterson, acting police chief, said that a call about a car going through the front of the Rental Corral on Market Street came in about 2 a.m. Tuesday. Police thought it was a burglary and cruisers including a K-9 unit were dispatched.
The driver, Timmogene Howell, 39, of Mill Creek Drive, Boardman, and his passenger, Aletha Freet, 32, of Princeton Avenue, Youngstown, gave conflicting stories, the acting chief said.
Freet was in the back of one of the cruisers writing a statement while Patrolman John Lytle was beside the cruiser. Two other cruisers, driven to the scene by Patrolman Darryn Tallman and Lt. Albert Kakascik, respectively, were parked in front of Lytle's cruiser and all of the cruisers had their lights activated, Patterson said.
More crashes
Another car, operated by Marlena Gregory, 22, of Mercer, Pa., was driving north on Market Street and drove into the rear of Lytle's car. The Ohio State Highway Patrol, which is handling the crash involving Gregory, said the first cruiser then hit the second and the second hit the third.
Lytle was knocked to the ground and treated at St. Elizabeth Boardman Campus for an injured arm. Patterson expects Lytle to be off work for a few days while his arm heals.
Freet was thrown into the glass in the back of the cruiser and taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center, where she remained in the emergency room Tuesday afternoon.
Gregory was in critical condition Tuesday at the Youngstown hospital. OSHP said she was cited for operating a vehicle while impaired and for failure to maintain assured clear distance ahead.
Neither Tallman nor Kakascik was in his cruiser at the time of the crash, but Yuma, one of the department's two K-9s, was in the back seat of Tallman's cruiser and sustained a cut on his face, Patterson said. The dog then began wheezing and was taken to a veterinarian for X-rays.
The acting chief said that the dog is OK but probably won't be used for a couple of days. Charges in the initial crash are pending, he said.