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Man, 19, gets probation in GE robbery attempt
By ED RUNYAN
WARREN
Trovon Bryant, a 19-year-old city man accused of using an Uzi-like weapon to try to rob a 57-year-old General Electric Lamp Plant worker last September has been sentenced to five years’ probation.
Bryant, of Prospect Avenue Northwest, also must submit to random firearm searches and abide by a 10 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew during the five years of his probation.
Judge Peter Kontos gave Bryant the sentence Monday in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.
Bryant was one of three men, all age 18 or 19, who tried to block the fenced exit of the G.E. parking lot on North Park Avenue on Sept. 17, attempting to get the worker to stop.
All three men were wearing hoodies pulled down around their faces during the 11:10 p.m. incident.
The worker continued through the exit without stopping. As he did, one of the three produced an Uzi-like weapon and fired it toward the vehicle, the man said.
No bullet holes were found in the car, and no bullet casings were found at the scene, said Chris Becker, an assistant county prosecutor.
Since the gun was inoperable, it appears that the victim was incorrect in thinking the gun was fired, Becker said.
Nearly two hours after the man reported the incident, Warren police officers caught the three on West Market Street near downtown with the help of a police dog.
Officers recovered a black bag that they saw Bryant throw over the West Market Street bridge containing an Intratech 9mm semiautomatic gun.
The victim later identified Bryant as the person who pointed the gun at him, and Bryant was indicted on charges of felonious assault, carrying a concealed weapon and tampering with evidence.
In March, Bryant pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of tampering with evidence, which carries a penalty of up to 18 months in prison.
Of his alleged accomplices, Anthony Hill, 19, of Union Street Southwest, was charged with felonious assault, but a grand jury declined to indict him.
A misdemeanor charge of obstructing official business filed against him in Warren Municipal Court was dropped.
The other, Desmond Coker, 19, of Warren, pleaded guilty in Warren Municipal Court to obstructing official business in February and was sentenced to 17 days in the Trumbull County Jail and court costs of $215.