Warren police probe 2 robberies at same store

STAFF REPORT

WARREN — Circle K store, 606 N. Park Ave. N.E., was robbed twice over the weekend, the second time by two men with a gun.

Police were called to the store at 9:18 p.m. Sunday after two men ordered the store clerk to put money from the cash register and boxes of cigars into a plastic bag.

The men fled on foot with the bag east on Washington Street and were not found.

The same store was robbed of about $10 worth of beer about 5:50 p.m. Saturday.

The store’s clerk called police about a man in the store who had stolen beer and was now choking another man.

The assailant left before police arrived and could not be located. The choking victim also left before police arrived, saying he had to go to work.

Besides the Circle K robberies, city police officers also were kept busy answering other calls leading toward the weekend.

On Friday night, police charged Carol A. Welsch, 47, of Maple Street Southwest with two counts of felonious assault on allegations of punching ambulance workers in the face while they were transporting her to Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital.

She appeared Monday in Warren Municipal Court and pleaded innocent. Bond was set at $2,500.

Police were called to her home about 5 p.m. on accusations she was spraying pepper spray at her house mate and his girlfriend. Police placed Welsch under arrest and took her to Trumbull County Jail, where she later had seizures and had to be taken to the hospital.

She reportedly assaulted two paramedics about 8:30 p.m. on the way to the hospital, Warren police said.

Two off-duty police officers working side jobs at the Warren Heights apartment complex on Maryland Street Northwest on Friday night detained a man in the parking lot who was later charged with felony aggravated drug trafficking and carrying a concealed weapon and misdemeanor drug possession and drug-paraphernalia possession.

Capt. Joe Marhulik and Officer Melanie Gamble were driving an unmarked car equipped with police lights and a siren when they questioned two men in a car and smelled suspected marijuana coming from the vehicle about 8:30 p.m.

Officers saw one of the men, Irvin Caraway II, 30, of Hamrock Drive, Campbell, putting a handgun in between the driver’s seat and center console.

The two men and the loaded handgun were removed from the car, and then officers found three sandwich bags of suspected mari-juana, smaller bags containing suspected cocaine and Caraway’s wallet containing $900 in the console.

Caraway pleaded innocent to all the charges Monday in Warren Municipal Court. His bond was set at $35,000.

runyan@vindy.com