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Robbery victim changes his story
By christine Keeling
youngstown
A Chaney student has changed the story he gave to police about his school-bus driver dropping him off in front of a South Side store before he was robbed.
The 16-year-old boy alleges he was robbed in front of Ally’s Food Mart on South Avenue.
Officer Robert Lodwick, of the department’s juvenile division, said the boy is now saying he did not have a conversation with a substitute school-bus driver about missing his bus stop and was not told to leave the bus at South and Avondale avenues.
That’s contrary to what he reported Monday to police.
The boy’s change of story matches the bus driver’s account of events and video captured during the route, said school officials.
All district buses have some type of recording device, said Bill Morvay, chief of security for city schools. The devices turn on automatically and run continuously, he said.
Morvay said he interviewed the driver and watched the video, and the driver did not deviate from her route.
“We followed protocol and looked at the tape,” said Connie Hathorn, schools superintendent. “A tape doesn’t lie.”
The boy’s mother, who discussed the case Tuesday, couldn’t be reached Wednesday. Hathorn said the district has guidelines in place to make sure children get to and from school safely, but it can’t be responsible if a student walks somewhere else after being dropped off.
It was unfortunate the situation happened, Hathorn said. Lodwick said his main concern was what happened after the student got off the school bus.
The boy alleges that three males approached him in front of the store and demanded his cellphone. When he refused, one male punched him in the face numerous times as two others pushed him in an attempt to take the phone, according to the police report.
Robbery charges were filed against two suspects.