43
Arrests follow fights at Chaney
5 students charged could face expulsion
and denise dick
YOUNGSTOWN
Five Chaney High School students, including two 18-year-old males, face riot charges after police say they were involved in a pair of fights at the building.
The students also received 10-day school suspensions from the school district and face possible expulsion.
Police say a fight involving about 15 people in the school’s main hallway, by the old gymnasium, started about 1:20 p.m. Thursday. Several teachers and staff were trying to break it up when two officers responded.
City schools Superintendent Connie Hathorn said staff at the school handled the situation appropriately. The school has two police officers inside the building, security assigned there and teachers who patrol the halls.
“Sometimes stuff happens, and it gets out of control,” he said.
The problem that caused the fight didn’t start at school, the superintendent said.
“This was brought to school,” he said.
Parents and the community have to alert school officials when there’s something brewing among groups of kids so the school can be better prepared with additional security, Hathorn said.
“I guess I have to communicate more with parents,” he said. “It’s about the safety of their kids and the safety of all kids.”
Police said there were too many bystanders near the fight, so officers couldn’t use pepper spray to break it up.
The officers were concerned using the spray would “harm” those “not involved in the incident who were trapped in the area amongst the students, staff and combatants,” according to a police report.
Shortly after the fight was successfully broken up, five students started fighting, police said.
Officers then called for a lockdown of the building that kept students not involved in the fights inside the classrooms.
With the assistance of teachers and other staff, the five were arrested.
The two 18-year-olds — Dawaylon Drayton-Perry of West Boston Avenue and Avery Gales of Hillman Street — were arraigned Friday in Youngstown Municipal Court on the misdemeanor charges. Their bond was set at $3,000 each with their next court appearances scheduled for 10:30 a.m. April 14.
The cases of the three others were sent to the Mahoning County Juvenile Justice Center.
The three minors charged with rioting are Tequille Williams, 17, of East Lucius Avenue; and Rayshawn Johnson, 16, and Trayvon Wright, 17, who live together on Cohasset Drive.