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Man charged with hit/skip served time
YOUNGSTOWN
The man arraigned on charges of fleeing the scene of an accident that left one car overturned previously has served time in prison for aggravated vehicular homicide.
Frank Bell, 30, of North Center Street, appeared Monday before Magistrate Anthony Sertick of Youngstown Municipal Court for arraignment on charges of hit/skip, disobeying a traffic control device and driving under suspension.
He pleaded not guilty and is due back in court Aug. 28.
Police were sent to the area of Boston Avenue and Southern Boulevard on the South Side at about 12:30 p.m. Friday to investigate an accident where one vehicle had flipped over and a black vehicle was reported fleeing the scene.
Witnesses at the scene told police a black Trailblazer went through a stop sign on Boston and struck a white Ford pickup truck causing the truck to flip over.
Witnesses also said the driver of the Trailblazer stopped and watched the pickup flip over before driving off toward Market Street.
There were no serious injuries in the accident.
Officers found the license plate belonging to the Trailblazer under the pickup after it was turned back over.
Police went to the Willis Avenue address to which the Trailblazer was registered and spoke with Bell.
Bell, reportedly, told officers he was driving the Trailblazer, but left the scene of the accident because he was scared.
Police learned Bell has six open driving suspensions.
They also learned he is not permitted to drive because he has a previous conviction for aggravated vehicular homicide.
Oliver Danko, 67, of North Hartford Avenue, died from injuries suffered in a June 1, 2005, accident at Market Street and Hylda Avenue on the South Side when his motorcycle collided with a car driven by Bell.
After being hit by Bell’s car, Danko’s motorcycle hit a street sign pole.
Danko, who wasn’t wearing a helmet, suffered a head injury.
Bell pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide and failure to stop after an accident.
Police said they caught Bell in a foot pursuit after the accident.
Judge James C. Evans of Mahoning County Common Pleas sentenced Bell to six years in the Lorain Correctional Institution for the aggravated vehicular homicide charge.
The judge also imposed a five-year sentence to run at the same time on a charge of failure to stop after an accident, fined him $25,000, suspended his driver’s license for 10 years, and put him on three years’ probation.