Grand jury gets case of Niles standoff

NILES – The case of a 41-year-old Niles man involved in a police standoff Friday has been bound over to the Trumbull County grand jury.

Joseph A. Leasock, of Pratt Street, waived his right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday before acting municipal Judge John Gargano on charges of aggravated robbery and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. A charge of drug abuse was dismissed.

Hearings for Shawn E. Davis, 22, and Richard W. Calderwood, 27, both also of Pratt, on charges of obstructing official business were continued until Aug. 27.

Police said Leasock robbed a bartender at gunpoint after she closed Stredney’s, a tavern at Mason and Cedar streets. Leasock reportedly ran to nearby 450 Mason, resulting in a 2 1/2-hour standoff.