Man faces extortion charges

By Peter H. Milliken

The bomb squad searched the car and found no explosives.

YOUNGSTOWN — A Mahoning County grand jury indicted a Boardman man accused of threatening to detonate a bomb June 10 and leading police in a pursuit.

Jeremy Sweet, 31, of Meadowbrook Avenue faces felony charges of extortion, failure to comply with a police order to stop, making false alarms and unlawful possession of a hoax weapon of mass destruction.

As he drove along U.S. Route 224, police said Sweet told a 911 dispatcher he’d detonate C4 explosives wired to his car if his demands weren’t met.

Sweet told the dispatcher Lowellville school teachers were teaching students how to make crack and said he wanted a high-school student with a computer so he could expose the crimes, police said.

Police pursued him from U.S. Route 224 down South Avenue to Western Reserve Road, where he stopped and was arrested. The Youngstown Police Bomb Squad searched the car Sweet was driving and found no explosives. Sweet said he had intended to keep going until he saw news helicopters, police reported.

Lowellville Police Chief William Vance said school officials told him the crack-teaching allegation was investigated and found to be a dead issue.

Also indicted were two Ohio State Penitentiary inmates accused of offenses against corrections officers.

Cornelius Harris, 27, was charged with attempted aggravated murder of a corrections officer and possession of a deadly weapon — a knife — while under detention, with both offenses allegedly having occurred July 18.

The other OSP inmate, Jason Goudlock, 34, was accused of harassing a corrections officer with a bodily substance May 22.

Others indicted were:

UDavid E. Bagnoli, 43, of New Road, Austintown, two counts of felonious assault.

UMichael Hover Jr., 18, of Russell Avenue, Austintown, burglary and theft.

UMarina Tatarciuc, 48, of Van Buren Avenue, Campbell, menacing by stalking.

UVirgilio Rios, 19, of Southern Boulevard, intimidation and theft.

UAnthony J. Pasquale, 23, of Mapleridge Drive, Boardman, breaking and entering and theft.

UDonald F. Bucci II, 22, of South Main Street, Poland, heroin possession.

UAshley Perry, 24, of South Main Street, Poland, heroin possession.

UKevin E. McGinnis, 29, of Olive Street, Girard, drug possession.

UKenneth Coleman, 53, of Lexington Avenue, heroin possession.

UAnthony J. White, 26, of Erie Street or Eastway Drive, illegal gun possession and improper handling of a gun in a motor vehicle.

UJesus Santiago, 19, of Hammaker Street, vehicular vandalism and felonious assault.

URory Stephenson, 27, of Elm Street, assault.

UWendall Hall III, 40, of Bessemer Street, vandalism.

URaymond E. Edwards III, 49, of South Truesdale Avenue, theft.

UKimberly D. Waters, 38, of Akron, theft.

UMarcus Agee, 18, of Sherwod Avenue, marijuana trafficking.

URichard Couturiaux, 27, of Ulp Street, Masury, heroin possession.

UJesse Nixon, 58, of Tod Lane, heroin possession.

URochelle Scott, 43, of Tod Lane, drug possession.

UNate Hasley, 19, of Bouquet Avenue, attempted burglary.

The grand jury declined to indict Jesse L. Rios of Ravenna on a charge of receiving stolen property.

milliken@vindy.com