Woman loses chance at expungement

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Whatley

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The woman who called police and reportedly lied to them Dec. 27, touching off a six-hour standoff with officers, has lost her opportunity to have an earlier felony cocaine possession charge expunged from her record if she were to successfully complete a drug-abuse treatment program.

Judge Lou A. D’Apolito of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court made the ruling against Lelia Whatley, 20, of Warren, on Wednesday, after she admitted violating her probation on the drug charge and waived a probation-violation hearing.

Besides ruling that Whatley will keep her felony record, Judge D’Apolito put her on probation for 18 months and ordered her to continue drug counseling in Trumbull County as a condition of her probation.

Whatley called Youngstown police to Kevon Williams’ Ohio Avenue residence, saying Williams had assaulted her and threatened her with a gun and was holding hostages.

After firing tear gas into the North Side home, police arrested the 20-year-old Williams on charges of burglary, inducing panic, obstructing official business and interference with custody.

After speaking with witnesses, police said Whatley lied in her phone call and charged her with inducing panic, making false alarms and two counts of falsification.

Witnesses told police Williams did not have a gun and did not hold anyone hostage inside his residence.

The Ohio Adult Parole Authority, which had been supervising her treatment on the cocaine charge, recommended that her eligibility for expungement of that charge be canceled because of the new charges lodged against her in connection with the standoff.