METRO DIGEST | Explosive assault reported in Austintown

Explosive assault reported in Austintown

AUSTINTOWN

Township police are investigating a reported assault that ended with a man throwing an explosive device at a house.

The 19-year-old victim, who lives on Westminster Drive, said just before midnight Sunday the suspect knocked on his door and asked him to come outside.

The victim said he asked the man, whom he knows, to leave his property — and was punched in the mouth, according to a police report.

The victim and a friend, both inside the house, shut the door on the suspect, who then went to a Chevrolet pickup truck and lit something that looked like an explosive, the report said. He threw the lit explosive, and it went off against the side of the house, damaging several pieces of vinyl siding and leaving a small hole in the ground.

Attempted auto theft

BOARDMAN

A 25-year-old Youngstown man was arrested in connection with an attempted car theft at a local day-care center.

Jason L. Womack was charged Monday with attempted auto theft, obstructing official business and resisting arrest. He also had a warrant out of Liberty police for failure to appear, according to reports.

Police said Womack tried to enter a locked vehicle with the ignition running at Discover My World Daycare on South Avenue on Monday morning, and when officers arrived, Womack failed to stop and continued walking away.

Reports state that during booking Womack also was charged with theft stemming from an investigation at Sparkle Market on Market Street. Womack was taken to Mahoning County jail on $6,000 bond.

Forums for the jobless

CANFIELD

The Ursuline Center support group for unemployed/underemployed people will meet from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. today with Deborah Miller of Manpower, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. April 5 with “Well of Body” by Eve Bevilacqua and from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. April 13 with a representative of Eastern Gateway Community College.

The group will resume meeting from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Thursdays beginning May 12 in Prato Hall at the Ursuline Center, 4280 Shields Road.

For information, contact Eileen W. Novotny, Ursuline associate, at 330-533-3831, send e-mail to ewalshnovotny@zoominternet.net, or visit the web site at www.theursulinecenter.org.

Volunteer for cleanup

NEW CASTLE, Pa.

Volunteers are needed for two area cleanups scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday by PA CleanWays of Butler and Lawrence counties, said Executive Director Jerry Zona.

Volunteers for the Neshannock Creek Cleanup should meet at the entrance of Neshannock Avenue Extension where it veers from Rural Avenue in New Castle. The project is to clean up the area between the road and the creek. The event will start at Rural Avenue and will continue upstream as far as possible.

Volunteers for the Miller Esker Cleanup should park along West Liberty Road at the “I” with Mount Union Road. Volunteers will clean up an old dump located a short distance from the parking area. Volunteers with waders are needed because much of the debris and tires are under water.

Search for Akron chief

AKRON

Akron’s search for its next police chief is a two-way race that could be finished in the next several weeks, the Beacon Journal reports. The selection process has been narrowed to David Morris, a major with the Prince George’s County [Md.] police force, and Washington-based FBI executive James Nice.

A third candidate, David Moore, a former Rochester, N.Y., police chief, withdrew as a candidate this month to pursue another opportunity. Moore was the only African-American finalist.

Mayor Don Plusquellic, who has final say on the hiring, has met with the two remaining candidates the past two weeks.

Some familiar with the hiring process anticipate a decision to be reached in April.

VINDICATOR STAFF/WIRE REPORTS