METRO DIGEST || Boardman schools case

Boardman schools case

BOARDMAN

A 31-year-old township woman pleaded not guilty to falsifying records to send her children to Boardman schools. DeJeanine M. Brockman, of Centervale Avenue, was arraigned in Boardman area court Tuesday on a misdemeanor falsification charge. She previously posted her $9,500 bond, which was continued Tuesday. Brockman also is charged with felony tampering with records, police said.

Child porn sentence

CLEVELAND

A Poland man has been sentenced to 61/2 years in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty to receiving and possessing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Richard E. Heinz, 51, of Hamilton Avenue, drew the sentence Tuesday from U.S. District Judge Dan Aaron Polster, who ordered him to surrender at noon March 1 to the U.S. marshal or to the federal prison where he’ll serve his time.

Heinz admitted using the Internet to download images of child pornography between Jan. 5, 2007, and Feb. 13, 2009. Thousands of images were found on his desktop computers and CD and DVD discs, the U.S. Attorney said. The case was investigated by the Youngstown FBI office.

Case bound over

BOARDMAN

The case of a 39-year-old township man accused of robbery has been bound over to a Mahoning County grand jury. Brandon Schmitt is charged with robbery, accused of taking more than $5,000 from First National Bank at 7025 Market St. on Jan. 13, police said. Schmitt’s $25,000 bond was continued, and he remained in Mahoning County jail Tuesday.

Failed to appear

new castle, pa.

A judge has ordered police to arrest a man charged in an arson who failed to appear for a preliminary hearing.

John Salvatore Zona, 45, of 6 E. Euclid Ave., was to appear Monday morning in Lawrence County Central Court. His co-defendant, Kitty Reno, 52, did appear and agreed to have her case moved to the county common pleas court. The two are charged with arson and insurance fraud in a March 26, 2010, fire at a home at 405 Whippo St., state police in New Castle said. Reno owned the residence. The fire caused $50,000 in loss.

Police said Reno was supposed to pay Zona $10,000 for setting the fire.

Central Court said Zona was properly notified of the hearing. His lawyer was present. Judge Jennifer Nicholson held the hearing without him. A bench warrant for his arrest was expected today.

Man dies after jump

pittsburgh

A Volant, Pa., man died in a Pittsburgh hospital after a chase that crossed two counties.

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said Tuesday an autopsy will be performed today on Thomas William Booth, 22. Booth led police on a 20-mile chase that began at 10:45 p.m. Monday in Allegheny County, continued into Butler County and involved five police departments, state police in Butler said.

He had been approached by a Sewickley Heights officer while parked in his vehicle along Blackburn Road in Allegheny County, but fled. Jackson Township police in Butler County deployed stop-sticks on I-79 North at the Tollgate Road overpass, and his tires deflated, police said.

He tried to flee by jumping from the overpass, falling 22 feet onto Tollgate Road. He was hurt, and pursued on foot by a Cranberry Township officer who also sustained injuries, police said.

Booth was taken by helicopter to UPMC Presbyterian. The injured police officer was taken by helicopter to Allegheny General Hospital.