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The year offered optimism and glory as well as crime and punishment
Some of the year’s top stories will be points of discussion beyond 2008.
YOUNGSTOWN — This year began on a tragic note and ended with scandal.
The top 2008 news events that made an impact on lives of Valley residents wasn’t always good, though we did have some high points: GM said it would bring the Cruze to Lordstown in 2010; Kelly Pavlik was flying high in February as world middleweight boxing champion; and presidential candidates came to caress us for our votes.
Several headlines, however, topped sad stories:
In January, Michael Davis, 18, of Youngstown committed an act that would kill six people in one family.
Davis set fire to 1645 Stewart Ave. early Jan. 23. The arson killed six members of the Crawford family: Carole Crawford, 46; her daughter, Jennifer R. Crawford, 23; and Jennifer’s four children, Ranaisha, 8; Jeannine, 5; Aleisha, 3; and Brandon, 2. All died from smoke inhalation. Five others escaped.
Davis was ultimately convicted of the murders and was sentenced to six consecutive life terms in prison.
Two months later the city saw another tragedy when Joseph Kaluza, a manager at a KFC Restaurant on South Avenue, was attacked and robbed.
Kaluza, of Youngstown, was traveling south on South Avenue at about 10 a.m. when a blue-gray Saturn cut him off and caused an accident. Kaluza called 911 and then lent his cell phone to the female driver of the Saturn.
Moments later, a man appeared at the passenger door and fired a gun at Kaluza, hitting him on the right side of the head and neck.
The team made off with $306 Kaluza was set to deposit in the bank. Kaluza was left paralyzed, but still managed to testify against his attackers in court.
After less than four hours of deliberation in September, jurors found Taran Helms, 23, guilty of attempted murder, felonious assault, aggravated robbery and kidnapping — all with firearm specifications. Hattie Gilbert, 20, was found guilty of complicity to all of those charges.
Another tragic case was the death of 87-year-old Mary Rush in Liberty Township.
Rush, of Mansell Drive, was found on her front porch, unconscious with severe cuts, just after 7 a.m. April 28. The porch area was covered in blood, and a large rock was found by a nearby broken window. Her leg was broken and caught in the railing leading to the porch. Rush locked herself out and was cut trying to gain entry to the house.
Police checked the area by car twice in the early hours, after a neighbor complained of someone crying out — but they did not find her.
Township trustees commissioned an independent review of the police department’s response to and investigation of the 911 call before the discovery of Rush. The review cited problems with the response by township officers and various problems within the department.
The Rush death and investigation prompted a change in the leadership at the township police department and a variety of changes to policies within the department.
One 2008 story that will have a lasting effect in the Valley and perhaps beyond its borders is the rise and fall of Marc Dann.
Dann, sworn in as Ohio attorney general in January 2007, said he would work to “help restore the public’s trust in our government.” Dann, however, resigned in May 2008 after scandal and talk of impeachment.
Two female staffers filed sexual-harassment complaints March 31 against Anthony Gutierrez, then Dann’s director of general services and a longtime friend. Dann also admitted he was overwhelmed by the job and wasn’t prepared to handle its responsibilities.
As late as Dec. 22, the public has seen fallout from Dann’s time in office. A report by Inspector General Thomas P. Charles states that Dann, “a cadre of his former senior managers and a handful of employees” turned the “office of the ‘people’s lawyer’ into a house of scandal.”
Charles listed 25 acts of wrongdoing by Dann, some of his closest friends in the attorney general’s office and his wife, Alyssa Lenhoff. The report accuses Dann and the others of improperly using money from the state, his campaign fund and a transition corporation he established shortly after his improbable victory in the 2006 election for attorney general. Dann has said the Inspector General has a “clear bias” against him.
See the complete list here.