Standoff leads to 4 arrests

Police were called on a report of a burglary in progress.

BOARDMAN — Four people were arrested after an early morning standoff with police.

Joseph Hardy, 25, of West Glenaven Avenue, Youngstown was charged with kidnapping, aggravated burglary, receiving stolen property and obstructing official business. He was also arrested on a warrant from Youngstown, charging him with failing to appear.

Andrew J. Peterson, 20, of Mayfield Avenue, Youngstown was charged with complicity to aggravated burglary and receiving stolen property.

Amanda Dawson, 21, of Tippecanoe Road, who lived at the home where the reported crimes occurred, was charged with obstructing official business. She was also wanted on a warrant for failure to appear from drug court in Canfield.

Cortland Casey Jr., 30, of Lourdes Lane, Campbell was wanted on a warrant from the Mahoning County sheriff’s office for traffic offenses.

All were being held in Mahoning County Jail and expected in Mahoning County Area court today.

What happened

Police were called about 5:15 a.m. Saturday to 5649 Tippecanoe on a report of a burglary in progress.

They found Peterson leaning on a car in a driveway next door. He told police that he brought a friend, Hardy, to the house to see Hardy’s ex-girlfriend, a police report said.

As additional units arrived, Casey came out of the house. He told police that he was in a bedroom in the house with Dawson, and when he walked to the bathroom he saw Dawson’s ex-boyfriend, Hardy, in the house, hiding behind a door.

Casey and Dawson both started yelling at Hardy, the report said, and Hardy said that he just wanted to talk to Dawson.

Casey said he fled to call 911.

Tried to get in

Police tried knocking and using a public address system to get Dawson or Hardy to come to the door to no avail.

Police got a key to the house from a friend of the family, but because the doors were dead-bolted, they still couldn’t get in.

When police asked Peterson if Hardy had any guns inside the house, he told them to check in a bag inside his car. There they found paperwork and brochures on high-powered guns that had belonged to the homeowner’s late husband. The homeowner is Dawson’s mother.

Police called the Mahoning County Crisis Response Team, which forced its way into the house about 9:20 a.m. They found both Hardy and Dawson hiding in an upstairs bedroom.

When asked why no one came to the door despite police calls to do so, Hardy said that he had fallen asleep and that Dawson was probably scared.

Dawson told police that Hardy wouldn’t let her respond to the door.