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Boardman thefts suspect indicted
Teen now faces federal weapon charge
YOUNGSTOWN
A city man accused of several Boardman burglaries was indicted in federal court Wednesday, charged with having a weapon under disability.
Freeman Bankston V, 18, was arrested July 7 at his listed residence on Ravenwood Avenue by U.S. Marshals and Boardman police, and it was then that the Youngstown ATF was called to confiscate a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun, according to reports.
Authorities were at Bankston’s home to serve a burglary warrant.
A month earlier, Bankston had been charged with receiving stolen property, possession of drug paraphernalia and felony burglary. He was indicted by a Mahoning County grand jury on one count of burglary July 14 and indicted again on a burglary charge Aug. 11.
A jury trial with Judge John M. Durkin presiding was to begin Monday but was continued by the defense, and a pretrial hearing is scheduled for Sept. 7. Bankston is set for arraignment Tuesday in common-pleas court to answer to the second burglary charge handed down last week.
Bankston is accused of stealing items valued at more than $8,000 from homes on Terrace, Homestead and Beechwood drives in May and June.
“The first time he was arrested, it was based on descriptions and information provided by neighbors,” said Boardman Police Chief Jack Nichols.
Using a description of a vehicle seen near the crime scenes, Boardman police arrested Bankston on June 8.
An officer stopped Bankston for a traffic violation, and a search of the vehicle turned up a large metal chisel, suspected marijuana grinder, pink cellphone, a bullet and jewelry, including a gold “President’s Award for Education Excellence” pin that matched property reported missing from a burglary victim, records state.
“The whole concept that we’ve been operating on for a while is that the neighbors are like our eyes and ears,” Nichols said. “The neighborhood-watch groups seem to be becoming more prolific. ... I’d like to see [them] in every neighborhood.”
Nichols said crime-scene investigators processed evidence and found a fingerprint that connected Bankston to another burglary, leading to Bankston’s July 7 arrest. Bankston has since posted bond.