Man takes plea deal in kidnapping, assault

Man takes plea deal
in kidnapping, assault

WARREN — Norman Morgan Jr., the 20-year-old city man charged along with Danny Parker II in a kidnapping and assault of a woman on West Market Street in February, has accepted a plea agreement.

Morgan, of Tod Avenue, was sentenced recently to three years in prison in the courtroom of Judge Andrew Logan of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.

Morgan was charged with the same offenses as Parker — kidnapping and felonious assault. But Parker was eventually found guilty by a jury of the lesser offenses of abduction and assault and sentenced by Judge Logan to three years in prison.

Parker, 20, of West Market Street, was accused of punching a former girlfriend in the face, tying her up and threatening to kill her while wearing a “Friday the 13th” hockey mask and holding a circular saw. Parker denied ever using the hockey mask or circular saw.

Marijuana plants found

NILES — Police are conferring with prosecutors to determine what charges will be filed against two residents after marijuana was found growing at their homes. The seizures took place over two days. The first took place Wednesday afternoon at a home at 414 Asbury Lane where plants were seized by the city narcotics unit and Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation. The plants were growing in a greenhouse. A second seizure took place Thursday morning at 176 Cassandra Drive where plants were growing in a vegetable garden. Both raids were the result of anonymous tips to city police, they said.

Two men plead innocent
in separate homicide cases

WARREN — Two men pleaded innocent to murder charges in separate homicide cases stemming from deaths less than a half-mile away from each other and about three weeks apart on North Park Avenue in the city. Mario Q. Sellers, 23, of 516 Austin Ave., S.W., and Steven D. Brown, 29, of 3009 Aris St., N.W., both appeared for their arraignments before Judge John M. Stuard in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court. Bond was set at $1 million for both. Sellers is represented by attorney Gary Rich of Warren. Brown is represented by attorney Jim Lewis of the public defender’s office. Sellers is accused of killing Joseph D. Daniel, 33, of Palmyra Road Southwest in Warren, after Daniel left a North Park Avenue Northwest bar July 29. Brown is accused of killing Johnny Williamson, 24, in Williamson’s 1535 North Park Ave. N.W. home Aug. 23. If convicted, both men could get life in prison but not the death penalty.

Compost site to be closed

BOARDMAN — The township’s compost site on Southern Boulevard will not be open Saturday because of staff vacations. It will reopen Monday.

Lawsuit filed in case
of teen’s drowning

YOUNGSTOWN — The estate of a 17-year-old boy who drowned in a lake on the property of Wolf Run State Park in September 2005 has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in U.S. District Court, naming the Mahoning County Juvenile Justice Center (Martin P. Joyce Juvenile Justice Center), Neil Kennedy Recovery Clinic, certain named and unnamed employees at each location and others. Roosevelt Walker of Youngstown and other juveniles from the juvenile center on a field trip walked near the lake unsupervised and unaccompanied, entered the lake to swim, and Walker drowned, the lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit alleges that the juvenile center and recovery clinic failed to adequately train employees to adequately protect Walker and warn him of the dangers while on the field trip. Wolf Run State Park is in southeastern Ohio. The lawsuit was filed Monday by Canfield attorney Brian P. Kopp on behalf of Walker’s estate.

Woodworth crafts show

NORTH LIMA — The Woodworth Park Arts and Crafts Show to be held Saturday has attracted reservations from more than 30 vendors. The event, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., is free. Chain saw carver Mike Highfield is the featured artist. Food and refreshments will be available.