Jury to hear opening statements in trial of 3 charged in beating

By John W. Goodwin Jr.

Jury selection ended late Tuesday afternoon.

YOUNGSTOWN — Opening statements will be today in a trial for three men accused of beating a South Side man and his daughter earlier this year.

William Santiago, 18, of Blackburn Street, Campbell; Brad Clinton, 19, of Matta Avenue; and Randy Flores, 21, of South Garland Avenue, are each charged with two counts of felonious assault. If convicted, each man could face a maximum of 16 years in prison.

Jury selection in the case began Monday with a jury being seated late Tuesday afternoon.

Prosecutors filed a motion asking the court to exclude the felony record of a witness in the case. Judge John Durkin of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court gave defense attorneys time to research the motion and file a response. The witness was set to be questioned before opening statements today.

According to police, officers were called to East Glenaven for a fight in early August and found a 59-year-old Glenaven man and his 27-year-old daughter, of the same Glenaven address, beaten and bruised.

Police saw a Ford Explorer attempt to speed away with spectators screaming for police to stop the sport-utility vehicle because it contained the men responsible for the beating. There were six people inside the SUV.

Reports say officers stopped the SUV a short distance away.