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Grand jury indicts father of suspect in St. Dom killing
YOUNGSTOWN
A Mahoning County grand jury has indicted the father of a suspect in a capital murder case on charges of retaliation and intimidation.
The grand jury Thursday indicted John Houser Sr., 48, of Volney Road, on two third-degree felony charges based on a Feb. 6 confrontation with a witness against his son, Jamar Houser, 21, who will go on trial this year.
The younger Houser is charged with the Jan. 23, 2010, shooting death of 80-year-old Angeline Figmonari as she was leaving Mass at St. Dominic Church. He is in county jail awaiting trial.
When John Houser saw the 22-year-old witness leave a Glenwood Avenue gas station, he reportedly said to the man: “You know who I am? You know what it is. I’ll pull a cap back when I see you.”
The witness entered his car and left, but Houser reportedly followed and tried to run the man off the road.
In another case, the grand jury indicted four people on an aggravated riot charge in the Dec. 31 beating of a 19-year-old Kendis Circle woman.
Indicted on that charge were Tiffany Watson, 33, of Kensington Avenue; Regina Cansler, 21, of Kendis Circle; Allena Heriot, 26, of West Dennick Avenue; and Saron Tapscott, 25, of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Heriot and Tapscott also were indicted for attempted burglary in that incident.
Police responded that day to a large fight on Kendis Circle on the East Side, where the victim said two carloads of women came to her home. One of the women broke a front window, and the rest of the women entered.
The victim told police she fled the apartment, and about six women jumped her, pushed her to the ground, pinned her beneath a vehicle, beat her, pulled her hair and cut her wrist with a knife.
The assault ended when a neighbor yelled she would call police. The victim said the assailants took her cellphone and keys, adding that the beating stemmed from a dispute over a man.
The grand jury also indicted two men in separate armed convenience store robberies.
Rayshon J. Ware, 19, of Champlain Avenue, is charged with aggravated robbery with a gun specification in the July 22 attempted robbery of Sami Quick Stop on East Midlothian Boulevard.
Ajuante Toney, 18, of North Lakeview Avenue, is charged with robbery and aggravated robbery with a gun specification in the Jan. 20 robbery of Ultimate Food Mart on Belmont Avenue.