Swindler of elderly faces term of 15 years

By ED RUNYAN

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — A 37-year-old city man who stole from elderly people seven times in late December and early January by posing as a repairman or utility worker has pleaded guilty to charges that will likely land him in prison for 15 years.

Charles Zimmerman, of Hunter Street, pleaded guilty Thursday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to two counts of aggravated burglary, one of kidnapping, seven counts of burglary, one count of robbery, one count of disrupting public services, and several counts of being a repeat violent offender.

The prosecutor’s office agreed to recommend a 15-year jail sentence. He will be sentenced by Judge Maureen A. Sweeney on Nov. 14. He is in the county jail.

Mike McBride, an assistant county prosecutor, said the charges stemmed from incidents in Youngstown and Struthers and Poland, Coitsville, Beaver, Goshen and Boardman townships between Dec. 15, 2007, and Jan. 7, 2008, including Christmas and New Year’s Day.

McBride said he took cash in most of the incidents after using some sort of deception, such as posing as a repairman or utility worker. Most of his victims were elderly, he said.

Poland Township police said Zimmerman deceived an 86-year-old township woman New Year’s Day by going to her house offering to make home repairs. After he left, she discovered dresser drawers had been disturbed and her purse was taken.

McBride said Zimmerman’s illegal activities began with a bar robbery in Youngstown on Dec. 15 and concluded one day before he was arrested Jan. 8.

In the last robbery, Zimmerman was accused of knocking on the door of an 84-year-old Shady Run Road man in Youngstown, pushing inside the house, punching the resident, demanding money and threatening to kill him. The victim gave up his wallet after Zimmerman tried to tie him up, police said.

McBride commended the police departments in the communities affected for spreading the word about the robberies. That information helped police catch Zimmerman and made the case against him, McBride said.

Zimmerman qualified for the repeat violent offender specification because he had been convicted of burglary in 1998. He also had been convicted of theft and sentenced to three years in prison for bilking an 88-year-old Boardman woman out of about $7,000 for home repairs that either were not done or were done poorly, Vindicator files show.