METRO DIGEST || Justice for abused dog, Bubba

Justice for Bubba

WARREN

A city man charged with cruelty to animals in August after a pit-bull puppy was found in his home so badly malnourished it almost died has pleaded guilty in Warren Municipal Court. Tyree D. Kyle, 21, of Niles Road, entered the misdemeanor plea Thursday and received a sentence of 45 days in an alternative-sentencing program, a $350 fine and three years’ probation.

The puppy, Bubba, was found locked in a room in Kyle’s home when court bailiffs went there for an eviction. Officials said the room was full of feces and urine. Pictures of Bubba were circulated on the Internet, resulting in at least $1,500 in donations for the puppy and a Facebook page, Justice for Bubba, with more than 6,000 fans.

Air-base exercise

VIENNA

The Air Force Reserve’s 910th Airlift Wing at Youngstown Air Reserve Station is participating in a base-wide exercise beginning at 2 p.m. today. Residents and passers-by near the air base may hear a variety of sirens and explosive sounds today and Sunday afternoon. The exercise is necessary to maintain the mission readiness of the personnel assigned to the 910th, officials said.

Suspect surrenders

BOARDMAN

A 23-year-old Struthers man accused of arson surrendered to police Thursday evening. Police said Michael E. Roddy of Hawthorne Street is accused of setting a Chevrolet Blazer on fire July 16 as it sat in the driveway of an Applecrest Court apartment complex. Roddy did not enter a plea in court this week, and bond was set at $4,000.

SS-fraud charge

CLEVELAND

A 54-year-old Warren man is charged with Social Security fraud, accused of stealing $46,215 in retirement benefits issued in the name of his father after his father’s death, the U.S. attorney said Friday. A federal grand-jury indictment says Robert Earl Patch took the benefits and converted them to his own use between October 2007 and July 2010 after failing to report his father’s death Sept. 17, 2007. The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration.

Crimes in Warren

WARREN

A clerk at Warren Food Mart, 949 W. Market St., told police a person walked up to the drive-through window at 2:35 a.m. Friday, brandished a handgun and forced the clerk to put money into a backpack. The suspect also took several packs of cigarettes and fled on foot.

On Thursday, a 36-year-old Union Street Southwest woman reported that she woke up at 1:35 p.m. in her daughter’s bedroom to discover an unidentified man in the room. The woman fought with the suspect, resulting in a cut to her mouth. The man entered and left through an unlocked door.

New Castle fire

new castle, pa.

The fire department is investigating the cause of a house fire at 711 Sampson St. No one was home when the blaze broke out at 9 p.m. Thursday in the living room. It caused about $40,000 in loss, the department said.