Court considers disciplinary action

Court considers disciplinary action

COLUMBUS

The Ohio Supreme Court is considering disciplinary actions against a local defense lawyer after four clients filed complaints, according to The Vindicator’s broadcast partner 21 WFMJ-TV.

The court’s board of discipline had a hearing Tuesday for Atty. Thomas E. Zena.

Zena faces 10 counts that include conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation, failing to tell clients he lacked liability insurance, neglect and failure to carry out a contract, WFMJ reported.

The disciplinary board will announce a decision later.

Facing charges

BOARDMAN

A woman accused of receiving stolen property pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Mahoning Area Court here.

Michele D. Santiago, 41, of Youngstown, is accused of trying to return stolen merchandise to Barnes & Noble in Boardman. She will have a pretrial hearing Feb. 7. Santiago was arrested Sunday along with Bruce Dee Lynn Hasley, 56, of Youngstown, who also is charged with receiving stolen property and criminal tools.

Hasley appeared in court Tuesday and did not enter a plea, according to online court records. His next hearing is set for Feb. 7.

Cars stolen from mall parking lot

BOARDMAN

Police are investigating recent reports of car thefts from the Southern Park Mall parking lot. Two Honda Accords were reported stolen, one on Saturday and the other on Sunday.

In both cases, the car’s drivers returned to find piles of glass where their cars had been parked.

Food distribution

LORDSTOWN

United Auto Workers Local 1112 will sponsor its annual Care & Share food distribution at noon on today. The UAW membership annually supports this cause, which helps more than 400 families.

12 Amish men are indicted

STEUBENVILLE

Twelve members of a breakaway Amish group were charged with federal hate crimes in beard-cutting attacks on fellow Amish in farm country near here, federal prosecutors in Cleveland announced Tuesday. The seven-count indictment against Samuel Mullet and 11 relatives or members of his group include charges of conspiracy, assault and evidence tampering in what prosecutors say were hate crimes motivated by religious differences.

The five attacks between September and November involved cutting women’s hair and men’s beards and hair. That’s considered deeply offensive in Amish culture.

The indictment also charges four of Mullet’s children, a son-in-law, three nephews, the spouses of a niece and nephew and a member of the Mullet community in Bergholz. Mullet and six of the suspects have been held without bond since their arrests in FBI raids Nov. 23 at the Mullet compound.

Staff and wire reports