Burglary suspects caught out of gas

BOARDMAN — Two suspected burglars learned that despite the high price of gas, sometimes it pays to fill up.

Police responded Thursday night to a Firnley Avenue home on a report of a suspicious man in the backyard.

While checking rear yards in the area, police heard an alarm and found a rear sliding glass door open at a home on Glenwood Avenue. Another officer then saw two men, later identified as Joseph Grove, 21, of West Judson Avenue, Youngstown, and Laurence Sinkfield, 21, East Avondale Avenue, Youngstown, emerge from between houses. They walked down the driveway of a Millcreek Drive home next to the home where the alarm was sounding.

A burglary had been reported earlier on Millcreek and police found that the sliding glass door on the Glenwood home had been pried open. Police arrested both Sinkfield and Grove, charging each with burglary.

Sinkfield told police that Grove asked him to drive him to a friend’s house. Sinkfield said he parked his car at the Millcreek home and watched as Grove walked to the rear of the Glenwood home — where he says Grove told him his friend lived.

Sinkfield told police that he waited in the car and Grove returned from the house, got in the car a few minutes later and said, “let’s go.”

Sinkfield said he tried to start the car but realized he was out of gas and the two men started walking.

A witness from the Millcreek burglary was not able to identify the two men from that crime.

Both Grove and Sinkfield were lodged in the Mahoning County Jail on $12,000 bond each. Their court dates are Tuesday.