2 fires look suspicious

2 fires look suspicious

YOUNGSTOWN — Firefighters battled two simultaneous blazes Wednesday afternoon at a Lakewood Avenue home and an Erie Street convenience store. Flames were visible and smoke was bellowing from 1045 Lakewood when firefighters arrived at 1:22 p.m. That very minute, alarms were alerting other fire personnel to the blaze at 1616 Erie. Firefighters reported heavy smoke and flames pouring from the building’s second floor when they arrived at the convenience store with attached apartment two minutes later. Officials have not ruled out the possibility of arson in either case. Vandals had begun stripping the siding from the vacant Lakewood Avenue home, said Capt. Alvin Ware. The address was reported to be unsecured. It had an estimated $7,000 in damages, reports said.

Firefighters have received conflicting reports about whether the Erie Street business was occupied, though the apartment was vacant, said Ware. The building was recently the subject of a police raid, said Ware. It had about $6,000 in damages, reports said. Property losses at the address are estimated at $2,000.

Charged with assault

FARRELL, Pa. — Terrance Wells, 21, of Beechwood Avenue was charged with aggravated assault after driving at speeds reaching 40 mph with a state parole agent on the hood of his car. Southwest Mercer County Regional Police said agents from the state board of probation and parole approached Wells at 10 p.m. Tuesday on the 300 block of Union Street. Wells tried to drive away, and one of the agents jumped onto the hood of the car. Police said the agent jumped off when Wells stopped. The agent received a minor injury, police said. Wells is also charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and a parole detainer violation. Police said the agents were seeking Wells for a routine parole visit.

Murder arraignment

YOUNGSTOWN — Tramaine McDonald was arraigned on a murder charge Wednesday in municipal court. Judge Elizabeth A. Kobly set his bond at $1 million and a preliminary hearing for Sept. 21. McDonald, 27, of Donald Avenue, was arrested Tuesday at his home. He is the second man charged in the July 9 shooting death of Rodney N. Brown, 45, of Devon Avenue. Brown was shot about 2:15 a.m. in the Speed Check parking lot at 1050 McGuffey Road on the East Side. Gerald Hardaway, 26, of Ravenwood Avenue was also charged with murder, but the charge was dismissed Wednesday.

Motorcyclist dies in crash

YOUNGSTOWN — A 25-year-old motorcycle rider from Girard died after a crash on the North Side around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, said Detective Sgt. Rob Deichman, an accident investigator. Kevin Jamison, of East Broadway Street, was traveling north at high speed on Fifth Avenue at Park Avenue when a car made a left turn in front of him, Deichman said. Jamison, who was not wearing a helmet, was ejected from his 2006 Honda — a crotch rocket — after hitting the rear end of the vehicle driven by William Taylor, 22, of Norwood Avenue, the investigator said. Taylor was not hurt. Deichman said there was no indication of alcohol for Jamison. No charge was filed against Taylor, and the investigation continues, Deichman said. Jamison is the city’s 10th traffic fatality this year and the fourth that involved a motorcycle.

Scam targets elderly

BOARDMAN — Police are warning residents about a possible scam targeting the elderly. A 92-year-old Meadowbrook Avenue woman told police that a man knocked on her door Tuesday afternoon, asking for money. The man told the woman that he was a neighbor and that his wife’s car broke down on the interstate and he had no money to help her. The woman didn’t recognize the man. She described him as white, in his 40s, of medium build, about 5 feet 9 inches tall with brown hair and no facial hair. Last week, an elderly Afton Avenue man reported a similar incident. That resident didn’t recognize him, either. Police urge residents to be wary of the man, not to give him money and not to let people with similar stories into their homes.

Grant for Craig Beach

CRAIG BEACH — U.S. Sen. George V. Voinovich, R-Ohio, announced that the Craig Beach Volunteer Fire Department will receive $237,500 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security through its Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program Award. Voinovich is a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which oversees homeland security. He helped write the legislation creating the new agency in 2002.