METRO DIGEST ||

Innocent by insanity

YOUNGSTOWN

A Boardman man charged with the attempted murder of his wife has entered a written plea of innocent by reason of insanity and requested a court-ordered sanity and mental competency evaluation.

John F. Sylvester Jr., 37, of Jaguar Drive, who was charged with stabbing his estranged wife, Kelli Sylvester, after an argument at the Jaguar Drive residence June 3, made the evaluation request Tuesday.

Immediately after that incident, Sylvester held police at bay for about four hours while he threatened to jump from the Market Street bridge before being jailed under $2 million bond.

I-80 traffic alert

GIRARD

These closings and lane restrictions will take place beginning at 7 p.m. June 22 until 6 p.m. June 25.

The Interstate 80 westbound ramp to state Route 711 southbound will be closed for bridge repairs and the state Route 11 southbound ramp to I-80 east will be closed for bridge repairs.

Until further notice, I-80 between Route 11 in Mahoning County and Shady Road in Trumbull County will have various lane restrictions for bridge repairs. This work is part of an $18.5 million project to resurface I-80 from Route 11 in Mahoning County to Shady Road in Trumbull County. The project is scheduled to be complete in late September 2012.

Robber sentenced

YOUNGSTOWN

A North Lima man has been sentenced to five years in prison for the November 2010 armed robbery of the New Middletown Dollar General store.

Matthew Messner, 27, of New Buffalo Road, drew the sentence from Judge James C. Evans of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court. Messner had earlier pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery.

Village police said Messner carried a cutting instrument, grabbed the clerk, demanded that she open the cash register and fled with the register drawer and an undisclosed amount of money. Messner will be on probation for five years after prison.

Block watch meets

Youngstown

The Powerstown Neighbors Block Watch will meet at 7 p.m. today at New Vision New Day Church, 1970 Everett Ave., corner of Everett and Irma avenues and Midlothian Boulevard.

Assault in Girard

GIRARD

Girard police are investigating an assault that resulted in gunfire. At 10:20 p.m. Tuesday, Girard police were dispatched to East Kline Street and Stewart Avenue after a call about gun shots.

The incident occurred after the victim was involved in a verbal altercation with an unknown male driving a black vehicle. The suspect then exited his car before pulling a gun from his waistband and striking the victim on the left side of the head. Upon striking his head, the gun discharged one round causing the victim to flee. The victim said the suspect then shot at him while he was running, police said. No injuries were reported. MORE DIGEST, A4