Arraignments tonight in steel theft case

BOARDMAN

Three people accused of stealing steel from a local business will be arraigned tonight.

Yvette Mendez, 39, Rodney A. Phillips, 42, and Stephen Charles Phillips, 31, all of Youngstown, are each facing a felony charge of theft and possession of criminal tools, records state.

A township officer on patrol observed three people stealing steel from Peskin Sign, 3991 Simon Road, around 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Police said they were using a cutting torch to divide pieces of steel before loading it into a pickup truck.

When the officer confronted the trio, they claimed they were hired to remove the steel, but when police called the business owner he said no one had permission to take the steel, reports state.

Police said the 10 tubes of steel were valued at $1,575.