Cortland man jailed on charges of vehicle assault

Staff report

WARREN

Raul I. Moreno, 26, of Cortland, is being held in the Trumbull County jail without eligibility to make bail after he allegedly drove his car into a woman Sunday afternoon in Packard Park.

Moreno pleaded innocent Monday in Warren Municipal Court to felonious assault stemming from the 4:40 p.m. incident, which sent the woman to Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital for treatment of stomach and shoulder injuries.

Moreno returns to court for a preliminary hearing July 21. If convicted, he could spend up to eight years in prison.

The woman, 22, of Atlantic Street Northwest, told police she was sitting in Moreno’s car when an argument started. She refused to get out of the car because Moreno owed her money, so Moreno dragged her out by her hair, the woman said.

The woman climbed on the hood of the car, but Moreno drove off anyway, knocking her to the ground and then struck her with the front corner of the car.

Witnesses who saw the incident tried to stop Moreno, one of them ripping off the temporary license plate tag from the car, police said.

Cortland police arrested Moreno about 7:20 p.m. and turned him over to Warren police.

Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital, where the woman was taken, said Monday it had no record of the woman.