Theft investigated

Theft investigated

girard

Michael D. Simpson Jr., past president of Girard Little Indians football organization, admitted making unauthorized withdrawals amounting to $1,100 after being confronted by officers, police said. Simpson, 33, of Crumlin Avenue, said he took the money for personal use, police said.

Detectives are investigating the theft after officers of the organization, Charles Doran, Marty Harvey and Rebecca Brink, met with Chief Jeff Palmer. They reported that a recent audit revealed withdrawals that began in 2009 with the final one on March 24, 2010.

Drug charges

YOUNGSTOWN

A former part-time Youngstown State University assistant women’s softball coach is in the Mahoning County jail without bond after having been arrested Friday afternoon on a secret indictment charging her with four counts of Oxycodone trafficking.

Gina L. Rango, 26, who was indicted by a county grand jury Thursday, was arrested at her Woodworth Road residence in North Lima by the Mahoning Valley Drug Task Force after an eight-month investigation. If convicted of all counts, she faces up to 16 years in prison. The softball season is over, and Rango won’t be returning for the 2011 season, a university spokesman said.

Grant for garden

YOUNGSTOWN

The Raymond John Wean Foundation has awarded a $2,500 grant to the Mahoning County Juvenile Court Community Advisory Board to continue the court’s summer fun camp community garden adjacent to the Jackson Township Hall on Mahoning Avenue.

The garden, now in its second season, is sponsored by the board and Jackson Township trustees to allow juveniles at risk of delinquency to develop interpersonal skills to allow them to stay out of juvenile court. Jackson Township residents may pick vegetables free of charge from the garden, from which more than a ton of vegetables was donated to community food banks last year, said Judge Theresa Dellick of juvenile court.

Dems to meet

POLAND

The Democrats of the 17th and 6th Districts will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Poland Community Baseball Association hall on Sheridan Road. The public is invited to attend.

Lane restrictions

CANFIELD

Until further notice, Herbert Road and Fairground Boulevard will have lane restrictions in either or both directions for resurfacing work. Traffic will be maintained by flaggers. The Ohio Department of Transportation said the work is part of a $300,000 project to resurface Herbert from the western city limits to the Ohio Turnpike and Fairground from South Broad Street to the eastern city limits.