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Man gets new sentence for assaulting officers
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
YOUNGSTOWN
A Campbell man has received a new prison sentence for assaulting two police officers and possessing drugs.
Tim Vari, 57, of Sixth Street, appeared Friday before Judge R. Scott Krichbaum of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court a second time for sentencing on two charges of assault of a police officer, possession of cocaine, failure to obey the order of an officer and receiving stolen property. He was sentenced to four years in prison.
Vari originally had pleaded guilty to the charges in a plea agreement with prosecutors in 2007. Judge Krichbaum, at that time, sentenced Vari to eight years in prison.
The 7th District Court of Appeals, however, overturned the sentence and sent the matter back to common pleas court.
According to Judge Krichbaum’s court, Vari had reached a plea agreement with prosecutors for a four-year term on the charges, but later said he did not agree with the terms of the deal and wanted to withdraw his plea.
He was given a hearing, but ultimately not allowed to withdraw the plea.
Judge Krichbaum, citing Vari’s lengthy criminal record and rejection of the plea deal, sentenced Vari to eight years in prison instead of the four-year term. The appellate court said Vari should have been given the four-year prison term.
Vari will be given credit for the time he has spent in prison since 2007.
Vari led Youngstown police on a chase through the city and into Liberty Township in March 2003 only coming to a stop after police cruisers had surrounded his car and forced it to stop. According to police, Vari then rammed two city police cars, injuring one officer in the process.
Reports say Vari ignored officers’ requests to get out of the car and began smoking what appeared to be crack cocaine while officers banged on the windows of the car ordering him to get out. Police broke the windows of the car and took Vari into custody after he appeared to reach under the seat of the car as if to grab something.
The car Vari had been driving was reported stolen.