2 charged with felonies jailed without bond

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

A magistrate has ordered two defendants facing first-degree felony charges jailed without bond at the prosecution’s request.

Magistrate Timothy G. Welsh issued the orders concerning Charlotte Moreland, of Youngstown, who is charged with trying to run over two police officers on July 22, and Joseph Battisti, of Struthers, who is charged with raping a 33-year-old Youngstown woman July 11.

Moreland, 41, of Elbertus Avenue, and Battisti, 25, of Parkway Street, were arraigned Tuesday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

The grand jury handed up indictments against Moreland on three counts of felonious assault and one count of vandalism. She is accused of trying to run over two Youngstown police officers and a 25-year-old woman with her car on West Princeton Avenue.

Police said she purposely crashed her car into the woman’s parked car, while she was talking with the officers about a theft, and crashed her car into a nearby police cruiser. The officers and the woman had to jump out of the way of Moreland’s car, but there were no injuries, police said.

Welsh appointed Atty. Walter Ritchie to represent Moreland and Atty. Ronald Yarwood to represent Battisti, and tentatively set trial dates of Oct. 1 for both defendants. Both cases are assigned to Judge Maureen A. Sweeney.

The prosecutor at Tuesday’s arraignments was J. Michael Thompson, an assistant county prosecutor.