Canfield man to face OVI, drug charges

staff report

BOARDMAN — A Canfield man is scheduled to appear in court today, accused of driving his vehicle into a business in the Creekside Plaza.

Ronald Beshara, 57, of Seville Drive, was charged early Saturday with possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia and operating a vehicle while impaired. He also was cited for hit-skip.

He was released from jail after posting bond and is scheduled to appear today in Mahoning County Court.

About 2 a.m. Saturday, a police officer on patrol saw a sport- utility vehicle back out from the plaza with heavy front-end damage.

The officer saw debris on the ground as he followed the SUV, realizing that the vehicle had struck the building.

The vitamin store in the plaza as well as a vehicle parked there were damaged.

The officer stopped the SUV, which also had a flat tire, and said he detected the odor of alcohol emanating from inside the vehicle.

Beshara was arrested on an OVI charge and police found a straw with suspected cocaine on it in one pants pocket and a plastic bag with suspected cocaine in it in another pocket, a police report said.

A breath test indicated Beshara’s blood-alcohol level was at 0.221 percent. The legal limit it 0.08 percent.