DeWine touts success of Safe Surrender in Mahoning Valley

July 29, 2012 at 8:21p.m.

By JORDAN COHEN

news@vindy.com

WARREN

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine says the three-day Fugitive Safe Surrender program last week in Trumbull and Columbiana counties was so successful that he plans on having another one in Mahoning County this fall.

Fugitive Safe Surrender enabled people on outstanding warrants for fines and other misdemeanor offenses to surrender at First United Methodist Church in Warren or Lisbon Church of the Nazarene last Thursday through Saturday. At the churches, deputies processed their papers, and municipal judges heard the cases in separate rooms at the churches.

Figures released by DeWine’s office show that 111 voluntarily surrendered in Trumbull County while 24 turned themselves in in Columbiana County. Some of those surrendering did not have any outstanding warrants but were concerned about violations with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, which had representatives at the two churches. Three wanted on felonies also surrendered, two in Warren and one in Lisbon who had six outstanding felony warrants. He and one of the Warren accused felons were the only ones remanded to jail by the judges.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.