V-GRIP program yields arrest

Staff report

warren

The Violence and Gun Reduction and Interdiction Program that brought together federal, state and local officers to combat violence over the summer has yielded another arrest.

Jimmy Stella, 31, of Warren had been stopped by an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper during Operation V-GRIP and was found in possession of suspected crack cocaine.

The suspected drugs were submitted to the lab for testing, and when the lab results confirmed the presence of cocaine, a warrant was issued for Stella’s arrest.

About 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, members of the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force located Stella at a home on Seventh Street Southwest, Warren Township, and arrested him.

Information obtained during the arrest led officers to call the Trumbull Ashtabula Group Drug Task Force for assistance.

TAG investigators were able to obtain a search warrant for the residence and searched it later in the evening.

Items recovered during the search included five assault rifles, two handguns, numerous rounds of ammunition, a ballistic vest, $2,000 cash and a small amount of suspected marijuana and cocaine.

Stella was booked in to the Trumbull County Jail on the warrant for drug possession.

The investigation regarding the items seized during the search is continuing, and investigators will present their case to the city prosecutor when it’s complete.

“This is a great example of how even a short-term operation can produce long-term results within a community,” U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said in a news release. “I applaud the efforts by all involved and give credit to the great partnerships that we have built with our law-enforcement partners in the area.”

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of a known fugitive is encouraged to contact the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at (866)-4-WANTED.

Callers may remain anonymous, and reward money is available.

The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force in the greater Warren/Youngstown area is composed of the following agencies: U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Columbiana County Sheriff’s Office, Boardman, Dalton Village, East Liverpool, Girard, Goshen Township, Howland, Hubbard Township, Liberty, Lisbon, Lordstown, McDonald, Newton Falls, Niles, Salem, Warren, Washingtonville, Weathersfield and the Youngstown police departments, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, Trumbull County Probation Office, Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Probation and Parole and Warren Municipal Courts.