Guilty verdict in police assault case

YOUNGSTOWN — After only two hours of deliberations, a jury convicted a 19-year-old Glenwood Avenue man of seven counts of felonious assault on police officers, all with firearm specifications, in a police pursuit more than two years ago on the city’s East Side.

The defendant, Craig Franklin Jr., faces 56 to 105 years in prison when he is sentenced by Judge James C. Evans of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court at 11 a.m. Monday.

“Hopefully, we’ll get a very hard sentence for this young fellow because, you know, you can’t shoot at the police. They’re our last line of defense,” Timothy Franken, chief trial lawyer in the county prosecutor’s office, said after the verdict was rendered Thursday. Franken said he hopes a harsh sentence sends a message to others who might engage in such behavior.

During the four-day trial, seven police officers identified Franklin as a man who shot at them on July 1, 2005. But Franklin, who testified in his own defense, denied being present during the chase and said he had no involvement in the crimes.

For more, see Friday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com