METRO DIGEST

Shooting victim

YOUNGSTOWN — Police have identified a man found dead over the weekend, but they are still looking for his shooter.

Police identified the man as James Cummings, 29, of East Boston Avenue. His body was discovered lying face down in a field in the area of Tod Lane and Kensington Avenue on the North Side just before 8:30 a.m. Sunday by a man walking his dog.

Reports say Cummings had been shot in the back of the head and someone attempted to set his body on fire with a flammable liquid.

Amato case progresses

LISBON — Judge C. Ashley Pike of Columbiana County Common Pleas Court is preparing an order in the cases against Jack Amato Jr., awaiting trial on charges of murder and possessing weapons.

A court representative said that the entry deals with discovery, in which the prosecution and defense exchange information before a trial. Attorneys met two weeks ago to try to set a trial date with no success.

Amato Jr., 37, of Wellsville, is charged with shooting his wife, Tonia, 25, in the head at their Wellsville home. The gun has not been found.

Amato Jr. was released under monitored house arrest at the Irondale home of his father, Dr. Jack C. Amato. Amato Jr. was indicted on the weapons charge in September 2008 after guns and homemade bombs were found in his bedroom.

Attempted robbery

YOUNGSTOWN — Police are looking for the men who attempted to rob a South Side man without bothering to leave their vehicle.

According to police, a 34-year-old Brooklyn Avenue man was standing in front of his home when a car pulled up, and the driver asked to speak with him at 1:40 p.m. Sunday.

After the man leaned into the car, its two occupants demanded all his money. Reports say the man told the would-be robbers that he had no money, which made them upset. The men began driving with the Brooklyn Avenue man’s head still leaning in the window of the car. He fell away from the car after a short distance and suffered minor injuries from the fall.

Intruder kicks in door

YOUNGSTOWN — A city man is in Mahoning County jail with bond set at $35,000 after police say he kicked in a man’s door in an attempted theft while the resident was home.

Bryan Thomas, 23, of West Marion Avenue, appeared for arraignment Monday on a charge of aggravated burglary before Judge Elizabeth Kobly of Youngstown Municipal Court.

According to police, a 31-year-old Crandall Avenue man saw someone walking around his North Side home checking all the entrance doors Saturday evening. The homeowner hid behind a refrigerator, then heard about three kicks to a rear door and saw the door swing open.

Reports say the would-be thief, believed to be Thomas, saw the homeowner and ran off. Police arrested him a short time later walking down Wick Avenue. The homeowner identified Thomas as the intruder.