Man charged in Canfield, Ellsworth burglaries

Man charged in Canfield, Ellsworth burglaries

AUSTINTOWN — The Mahoning County Sheriff’s Department and township police have jailed a man they say was involved in six burglaries between July 3 and 7 in Canfield and Ellsworth townships.

Ross Davis, of Raccoon Road, has charged with three counts of felony burglary.

The majority of the burglaries occurred during the day when the victims weren’t at home. Davis and others entered some of the homes forcibly but were able to get into others through an unlocked door or window, police said. They weren’t sure how many others might have been involved

Mahoning County Sheriff Randall Wellington said the value of the stolen items totaled several thousand dollars.

Davis is in Mahoning County Jail, and will stay there pending a court appearance next week, he said.

“He hasn’t posted bond yet but should be going to court probably Monday,” Wellington said.

Police said they are looking for other suspects in this case.

Drug, assault charges

NEW MIDDLETOWN — A man who said he had consumed mushrooms and marijuana faces additional charges for assaulting New Middletown Police Sgt. Vincent D’Egidio.

The officer said he found Don Holliday of Pulaski, Pa., passed out in his truck behind the police department Wednesday evening.

D’Egidio said that once roused, Holliday admitted the drug use but then hit the officer twice while getting out of the truck.

Holliday was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center for evaluation and was then transported to the Mahoning County Jail. D’Egidio did not seek treatment.

Police said they found the remainder of the suspected drugs and a pipe inside his truck.

Holliday faces a charge of assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, possession of dangerous drugs, possession of marijuana and having control of a motor vehicle.

He was arraigned Friday in Struthers Municipal Court, and his bond was set at $10,000.

Fatal motorcycle crash

GIRARD — Police are investigating a one-vehicle accident that took the life of 25-year-old Michael Graziano of South St. Clair Street.

According to police reports, Graziano was traveling south on North State Street just after 10 p.m. Thursday when he lost control of the motorcycle he was riding. Reports say the motorcycle began to wobble before hitting the curb, going airborne and striking a utility pole. Graziano was pronounced dead at the scene.

Loss from fire in shed at school put at $15K

WARREN — John Gillen, athletic director at John F. Kennedy High School, reported to Warren police Thursday that a fire that destroyed a sports equipment shed and football equipment inside it July 1 involved a loss of more than $15,000.

Gillen said the 12-foot-by-24-foot shed located in a fenced-in area near the football and track and field practice areas housed several pieces of football equipment. The school is located on Central Parkway Southeast.

The police report says the fire was arson, but firefighters say the blaze is still classified as “under investigation,” meaning no determination has been made as to whether it was arson.

The police report was filed to list the equipment that was in the shed at the time of the fire, Gillen explained Friday.

Idora carousel on TV

The Idora Park carousel and the woman who restored it, Jane Walentas, will be featured this weekend on “Sunday Morning,” which is hosted by Charles Osgood from 9 to 10:30 a.m. on CBS.

Walentas, a New Jersey-born artist, and her husband, a real-estate developer, bought the carousel during an auction Oct. 24, 1984, in Youngstown. Their bid was $385,000.

Walentas spent 22 years on the restoration project, which included 16 years of removing 10 layers of paint. After the paint was stripped, the original designs were revealed and were preserved and then re-created.

The Idora carousel was handcrafted by master woodcarver Frank Carretta.

The carousel, on display in a storefront in Brooklyn, N.Y., is destined to be installed at Brooklyn Bridge Park.