METRO DIGEST || Man accused of choking his dog arraigned

Dog-choking hearing

YOUNGSTOWN

Not-guilty pleas were entered Friday for a man accused of choking a dog on the West Side.

Jacob Sanders, 20, was arraigned in Youngstown Municipal Court on misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest and animal cruelty. Judge Elizabeth A. Kobly set a preliminary hearing for 11:15 a.m. Sept. 10 . During his arraignment, prosecutors also said he has been reported as a missing person from California.

Reports said Sanders was seen walking down Belle Vista Avenue on Wednesday afternoon choking a dog. When questioned by officers, he resisted efforts to be handcuffed and placed in a cruiser. He is in Mahoning County jail.

South Side outage

YOUNGSTOWN

About 1,300 customers on Youngstown’s South Side were without power from about 10:06 p.m. Friday night as a result of a snapped power pole and a downed transformer.

David Turner, Ohio Edison’s Mahoning County area manager, said power was likely to be restored by about 11:45 p.m.

The affected area is to the west of Hillman Street, which is the location of the downed power pole, a Youngstown Fire Department spokesman said.

Car chase arraignment

CAMPBELL

A Youngstown man who led police on a car chase that resulted in his hitting a police cruiser was arraigned Friday.

Devin Thompson, 20, of Duncan Lane, will go back to Campbell Municipal Court on Friday for a pretrial on misdemeanor charges and a preliminary hearing on felony charges.

He was required to post 10 percent of his $37,000 bond, but did not do so, according to the court. He was to be taken to the Mahoning County jail.

Police say they tried to stop Thompson on Tuesday night for an obstructed rearview mirror.

According to reports, he led police on a chase from Gladstone Street to busy McCartney Road, then on side streets to Clinton Street, where he hit the cruiser. Police found a loaded gun and suspected marijuana in his car, according to the police report.

Ruling favors FOP

SHARON, PA.

A Mercer Count judge ruled in favor of Sharon Fraternal Order of Police’s appeal of an arbitration award regarding increased pension contributions, the FOP says.

Judge Christopher J. St. John of Mercer County Common Pleas Court entered an order and opinion that vacated a portion of the arbitration award that increased FOP members’ pension contributions.

Judge St. John found the city of Sharon failed to comply with the statute governing how changes can be made to the police pension plan. The ruling also says the city failed to present the required evidence during the arbitration proceedings and that the city’s arbitrator acted improperly by trying to submit evidence six months after the close of the hearing but before the award was entered.

As a result, Judge St. John ruled the arbitrators entered an illegal award in favor of the city, the FOP says.

TGIF food drive

YOUNGSTOWN

The Bistro Group, the nation’s third-largest franchisee of TGI Fridays restaurants, is conducting its fourth annual Can-For-A-Fan virtual food drive benefiting nine regional food banks, including Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley.

Now through Oct. 15, the TGI Fridays in the Mahoning Valley will donate one can of food to a local food bank for each new Facebook fan at Facebook.com/EatAtTGIFridays. This year, the initiative also includes individual Bistro Group location Facebook page “likes.”

In addition to promoting the Can-For-A-Fan campaign on Facebook, guests who attend the Bartender Championships at each location will be invited to log on to Facebook and like their local fan page.

Woman charged

WARREN

Felecia Harris, 49, of 643 Southern Blvd., pleaded innocent to felony burglary Friday in Warren Municipal Court after a Woodbine Avenue Southeast woman reported that Harris got into her house and assaulted her and a 45-year-old man early Thursday.

The 30-year-old Woodbine woman said she didn’t know Harris.

Police declined to give any additional information, but the police report says the injured man lives at the same address as Harris.

The attack occurred at 7:23 a.m. Harris posted a $2,500 bond and returns to court Sept. 26.

Car hits house

WARREN

Raymond A. DeCapito, 46, of Cranberry Court was charged with misdemeanor operating a motor vehicle intoxicated, escape, reckless operation, driving under suspension and resisting arrest Thursday afternoon after he purportedly drove his car into a house on Jackson Street Southwest.

Police were notified that a car had hit a house in the 2300 block at 2:49 p.m. and that the driver was trying to flee.

When an officer arrived, he found DeCapito struggling with a bystander, who was trying to stop DeCapito from getting away.

A judge in Warren Municipal Court ordered DeCapito held in the Trumbull County jail without bond.

Mobile Meals baskets

WARREN

Farmers Bank has donated $1,000 to Trumbull Mobile Meals in support of the Mobile Meals Basket Extravaganza on Nov. 9 at the W.D. Packard Music Hall, 1703 Mahoning Ave. NW. Theme baskets and other items will be available to win or purchase.

Mosquito spraying

HOWLAND

Alexander Pest Control has been hired to spray for mosquitoes in Howland Township from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 9-10. In case of rain, spraying will take place the following evening.

Residents are encouraged to close their windows, keep pets indoors and not leave any food outdoors during the spraying.