Task Force report

Task Force report

BEAVER — The Mahoning County OVI Task Force reported it arrested one person for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.

The checkpoint ran from 11 p.m. Saturday to 2:30 a.m. Sunday in Beaver Township.

Some 322 vehicles were checked as part of a comprehensive and intense law enforcement program to stop impaired driving in Mahoning County, according to the task force. The same driver was also charged with marijuana and drug paraphernalia possession. The driver’s name was not released.

Four people tested under the 0.08 alcohol-blood limit.

Surrounding patrols resulted in the arrest of one person for driving while under a license suspension and another person being cited for driving without an operator’s license.

Man plays dead

YOUNGSTOWN — A 41-year-old Youngstown man said he escaped injury by playing dead when shots were fired at him about 1:52 a.m. Sunday. The man told police he was riding his bicycle at South and Marmion avenues when a red van pulled up beside him. The rider said the man in the front passenger seat opened fire. The man said he fell to the ground while the passenger fired approximately seven shots. The van then drove off. Police said they did not find any shell casings at the scene.

Loud music charges

YOUNGSTOWN — Police said they were 300 feet away when they heard music coming from the SUV George V. Barnette, 23, of Westchester Drive, was operating early Sunday on Mahoning Avenue. He was given a ticket for loud sounds coming from a motor vehicle. He has two previous charges for the same offense.

Jewan R. Carter, 22, of West Hylda Street, was charged for the same offense about 1:25 a.m. Sunday while he was driving near the South Side Annex. Police said Carter has three previous charges for loud music.

Bank robberies in Ohio
down 14% last year

CLEVELAND (AP) — Bank robberies in Ohio dropped by 14 percent last year while the number nationwide rose slightly, but the FBI says firearms continue to be used in bank robberies in the Cleveland area.

The number of bank robberies in Cuyahoga County also has fallen, from 67 over the first seven months last year to just 35 bank robberies through July 29. Guns were used in 11 of this year’s robberies and 13 of last year’s robberies in Cuyahoga County, said Scott Wilson, a spokesman with the FBI in Cleveland.

Inmate found hanging

ERIE, Pa. (AP) — A man being held on sex charges was found hanging at the Erie County Prison and died shortly afterward, authorities said.

Joseph Dombrowski, 21, who was found hanging from a bed sheet shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday, was rushed to St. Vincent Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, Erie County Deputy Coroner Korac Timon said.