Teens burglarize woman

Teens burglarize woman

BOARDMAN —A 27-year-old woman and her three children were victims of aggravated burglary when two male teenagers forced their way into the woman’s home and demanded the keys to her Mercury Sable.

The Boardman resident was at home when the two teens knocked on her door asking for Marvin on Friday around 1 p.m. When she opened the door slightly to tell them that they must have the wrong house, one of the teens pulled the door open and shoved her into the living room.

The woman started screaming and the teen put his hand over her mouth and pushed her to the floor, while the second teen entered the residence. They asked where her car keys were and she told them, but when the two couldn’t find the keys, they threatened her with a gun. She repeated where they could find the keys and once the two located them, they took the woman’s purse and fled in her car.

Bridge closed for repairs

VIENNA — The Niles-Vienna Road bridge over state Route 11 was closed to traffic Monday for $1 million in repairs.

The bridge was knocked out Dec. 18 when the boom of a cargo container truck used to transport trash containers struck the underside of the bridge.

The truck driver, Raymond F. Cross Jr. of Mercer, Pa., was killed. Shortly after the accident, the bridge was reopened to one-lane traffic.

A spokesman with the Ohio Department of Transportation said the bridge will be closed until late October while beams to support the bridge are replaced. Route 11 will have periodic lane restrictions during the repairs to the bridge.

Man issues guilty plea

YOUNGSTOWN — Shawn Jones, 18, of 130 Halleck St., has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of attempted murder in the shooting of an employee of Ohio Gas Mart, 2637 Glenwood Ave.

A witness told police that Jones argued with the 46-year-old employee at around 5:48 p.m. Feb. 3, 2008, left the store, returned and fired one shot from a handgun into the chest of the employee. The employee has since recovered from the gunshot, which narrowly missed his heart.

Jones was arrested March 27 on a warrant at a house in Warren. He was indicted on charges of attempted murder and felonious assault, both with firearm specifications.

When he is sentenced by Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Judge John M. Durkin at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 8, he could face up to 13 years in prison — 10 years for the attempted murder and three years on a specification that he used a gun in his crime.