Warren officers make arrests

Staff report

WARREN

Officers working under the umbrella of the federal Violence, Gun Reduction Interdiction Program arrested three men at a house on Van Wye Street Southeast Thursday night after one of them pointed a loaded gun at them.

Two hours earlier, Warren police officers working with the U.S. Marshals Violent Crimes Task Force arrested another man after he allegedly robbed the West Market Street Walgreens store and assaulted two employees.

The V-GRIP officers, including a Warren officer, went to a house on Van Wye at 11:30 p.m. to arrest Rodney Foster, 22, of Ravenwood Drive Southeast on six outstanding warrants.

After officers knocked at the back door, a resident of the home, Vaughn Small, 23, answered the door with a loaded gun pointed at officers, then quickly closed the door, police said.

Officers opened the door, and Small dropped the gun on the floor.

Small was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and drug possession, both felonies. He pleaded innocent Friday in Warren Municipal Court and is in the Trumbull County jail in lieu of $25,000 bond.

A third man was charged with minor-misdemeanor marijuana possession.

Foster also was arrested on the warrants and also appeared in court Friday morning. He was ordered held without eligibility to make bond.

About 9:30 p.m. Thursday, a Warren police officer working with officers from the U.S. Marshals Task Force learned of a fight in the parking lot of Walgreens, 804 W. Market St., and arrived to find several employees fighting with a man.

The employees said Justin Prater, 26, of 1165 W. Market, put store items in a bag, so they tried to stop him.

Prater head-butted one female employee in the face and punched another female employee in the face just outside the store before the store’s manager and a customer took Prater to the ground and held him until police arrived.

Prater pleaded innocent to felony robbery Friday in Warren Municipal Court and was being held in the Trumbull County jail without eligibility to make bond.