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Man found guilty in home invasion
YOUNGSTOWN
A jury of five women and seven men took less than two hours to find a city man guilty of charges in a home invasion at a residence where a pregnant woman and her boyfriend were victims.
Allen Tapscott, 43, of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, had been on trial in the courtroom of Judge R. Scott Krichbaum of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court. He was charged with aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary and being a convicted felon in illegal possession of a firearm.
The jury began deliberating the case shortly after 2 p.m. Thursday and reached guilty verdicts against Tapscott about 3:45 p.m. The jury found Tapscott guilty of two counts of aggravated robbery and one count of aggravated burglary. The judge also found Tapscott guilty of illegal possession of a firearm.
Tapscott held his head low in court as the verdict was read then began crying as the judge individually asked each juror if the decision was unanimous. Tapscott was taken by deputies to the Mahoning County jail.
Tapscott will be sentenced at 10 a.m. Monday. He faces a maximum of 38 years in prison.
Anthony Ranalli, 25, one of the victims in the case, said he is happy with the jury’s decision but wishes the loss of his child had been mentioned during the trial. He said his girlfriend was taken to the hospital the day after the home invasion and lost the baby.
The pregnant woman was on bed rest at home at the time of the home invasion.
Rebecca Doherty, an assistant county prosecutor, told the jurors Ranalli was on the computer at a Youngstown Metropolitan Housing Association property in the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard apartment home of his girlfriend Nov. 2, while his girlfriend was in bed.
Tapscott, who she said is familiar with the couple, came into the home through an unlocked door and pointed a gun at the couple, demanding cash and valuables.
The prosecutor said the couple told Tapscott their cash was kept at another apartment. Tapscott allowed the woman to go retrieve the funds, but the woman instead went to another apartment and called police.