Road resurfacing

Road resurfacing

AUSTINTOWN — Township trustees will award a contract for road resurfacing at a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. June 20.

Trustees opened bids for the work at their meeting Monday.

The lowest bidder out of three was a company called Barbicis of Fairlawn, Ohio, at $343,805.

Township administrator Michael Dockry said a list of roads that will be resurfaced this summer is not final, but should be by the June 20 meeting.

Kidnap and rape reported

WARREN — A 36-year-old Warren woman told police she was kidnapped and raped over the weekend. The woman reported to police that she was at Vine Avenue and Belmont Street Northeast about 12:30 a.m. Saturday when approached by a man she knows only as Ray. She said her assailant put a knife to her head, escorted her to a wooded area and forced her to have sex with him.

Bar fight breaks out

WARREN — Two young men got a lesson during the weekend when their laughter turned on them. Douglas Gilany, 23, of Canton, and David Greer, 22, of Parkman Road, Warren, told police they were outside a Youngstown Road tavern about 2 a.m. Sunday when two men emerged from the bar and began to fight each other. The victims told police they began laughing at the two fighters, who stopped fighting with each other and started punching Gilany and Greer. Gilany suffered a large cut to the back of the head and Greer a minor face scrape. No arrests have been made.

Certified Oil robbed

AUSTINTOWN — The Certified Oil on Niles Canfield Road was robbed by a man who held a clerk at gunpoint. The robbery occurred at 9:27 p.m. Saturday, according to police. The robber took the clerk to the store office and tried to make him open the safe, but the clerk could not. The robber made the clerk pull out the phone line, then fled. The report does not indicate how much was stolen.

Pet First Aid training

BOARDMAN — American Red Cross will offer Pet First Aid Training from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at 8392 Tod Ave. The course is designed to help the typical dog or cat owner care for and protect their pet like any other special friend or family member.

At the end of this course, pet owners will be able to recognize animal health emergencies and react until veterinary help can be provided, identify minor injuries and care for them, and know prevention and assessment skills. The course includes wound care, rescue breathing and CPR.

Upon completion of the course, students receive the Pet First Aid handbook and a Pet First Aid Kit. Call the Mahoning Chapter at (330) 726-6063 or register online at www.mahoningredcross.org.

Pregnant woman beaten

FARRELL, Pa. — A Hamilton Avenue man is charged with aggravated assault after threatening a pregnant woman with a knife and then beating her. Southwest Mercer County Regional Police said that after threatening the woman, Theodore W. Williams, 41, threw her down and hit her with a flashlight. The woman rolled away to protect her stomach and Williams began punching her in the back of her head and back, police said. When police arrived at 6:07 p.m. Sunday, Williams ran off, but was found a short time later on the 800 block of Union Street where he was arrested. He is also charged with recklessly endangering another person and aggravated assault of an unborn child.

Crash prompts manhunt

VOLANT, Pa. — A car stolen in Boardman ended up crashing here and setting off a manhunt. Pennsylvania State Police said a 1997 Ford Explorer crashed on Main Street at 7:40 a.m. Sunday, hitting an embankment and rolling over. Police said the driver, later identified as Bruce Hobbs of Roanoke, Va., ran into a wooded area. Police later learned the vehicle had been stolen from Boardman and had stolen license plates on it. State police from three counties, and New Castle and New Wilmington police searched for several hours before Hobbs was found about 1:30 p.m. off Lake Road in Washington Township, Lawrence County. He was arraigned on charges of receiving stolen property, disorderly conduct and summary traffic violations and placed in the county jail in lieu of $75,000 bond.

Vacant house, viaduct fire

NEW CASTLE, Pa. — Investigators are looking at two arsons involving vacant houses and a third blaze under a bridge. New Castle Fire Chief Tom Bulisco said they were called to 307 Shenango St. at 11:14 a.m. Saturday for a vacant three-story home on fire. He said it’s in a row of vacant homes which have been set on fire previously. He said Monday they were unable to locate an owner.

Firefighters were called out at 12:41 a.m. Sunday to 507 Bell Ave. where a two-story vacant home was on fire. He said this home had also been set on fire in April. The fire chief said Billie Ann Niglio of New Castle is the owner. He said firefighter Tom Maciarello suffered a slight concussion when he was hit with a hose stream. And at 2:07 a.m. Monday firefighters were called to the Mahoning Avenue viaduct where someone had set a large pile of construction material on fire. Bulisco said it appears to have been an illegal dump.

Outlet store thefts

GROVE CITY, Pa. — An off-duty state trooper helped nab a shoplifter who had stolen $33,000 worth of merchandise at the Prime Outlets. State police said the off-duty trooper was shopping in the Banana Republic store at 8 p.m. Saturday when he noticed a man shoplifting. He notified employees who then called state police. State troopers arrested Douglas Hernandez, also known as Julio Rivera, whose age and address is unknown. They found additional shoplifted items in his van from Hollister Inc., Abercrombie and Fitch Inc., Aeropostale, Polo Ralph Lauren and American Eagle. He was arraigned on multiple retail theft charges and was placed in the Mercer County Jail after failing to post $100,000 bond.

Man reports being robbed

YOUNGSTOWN — A 26-year-old man who called 911 to say he was robbed was found standing at a pay phone in his boxer shorts on Wirt Street around 1 a.m. Monday. The man said he was giving a woman a ride home from work and she wanted to stop at a crack house on Wirt. The man said he pulled into a driveway on Wirt and was dragged out of the car and beaten and had his clothes, wallet and keys taken. He said the man who beat him left with his car and the woman he’d offered to drive home from work.

Ex-counselor arraigned

YOUNGSTOWN — A former Northeast Ohio Correction Center counselor charged with bribery and providing contraband to an inmate was arraigned Monday in U.S. District Court. Michael K. Pearson, 35, of Fairmont Avenue was released on $10,000 unsecured bond. He was indicted May 24. A federal investigator described Pearson in a 12-page affidavit as a correction officer/counselor. An informant inside the Hubbard Road prison told guards that Pearson was bringing in prohibited items such as marijuana, cigarettes, radios, MP3 players, body building supplements and heroin for one inmate, the government said. Pearson was hired at NOCC on Dec. 6, 2004 and fired Aug. 25, 2006, for policy violations.