METRO DIGEST || Trooper mails his plea in OVI arrest

Trooper mails plea

AUSTINTOWN

The Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper charged with operating a vehicle impaired did not show up to his arraignment Wednesday morning in Austintown. Instead, Jason Fantone mailed the court a plea of not guilty.

His next court date is unknown.

Fantone, 36, of Austintown was found sleeping in his car while it was running outside of Buffalo Wild Wings on Monday evening.

He failed to take a sobriety test, but appeared to be drunk, according to police.

Workers at the restaurant told Austintown police that Fantone drank two beers, then began to fall asleep.

Eventually, he was asked to leave the establishment.

Claim of assault

BOARDMAN

A Deerfield woman said she was assaulted by a co-worker at Valley Industrial Trucks Inc.

The woman told police she was struck in her hand and wrist after she made a typing mistake on June 20 while at work.

The woman said she didn’t report the incident because she was embarrassed and humiliated, according to a report.

She told police that she was training for a position, and that before the incident, she was verbally and emotionally abused by the same co-worker.

The woman has since resigned her position with the company.

Jim Hammond, president of Valley Industrial Trucks, confirmed the woman’s resignation and said that, on the advice of an attorney, an internal investigation was conducted, which found no wrongdoing.

Hammond said there’s no history of such situations within the company.

Poland burglary

BOARDMAN

Boardman police are looking for someone who burglarized a Poland man’s apartment on Wolosyn Court on Tuesday afternoon.

The man told police four bottles of prescription medicines, a police scanner, loose change and cell phone were taken. He thinks he left the sliding glass door open, according to a report.

Woman arrested

BOARDMAN

A Youngstown woman was arrested and taken to the Mahoning County jail Tuesday, accused of kicking an officer and stealing a necklace from Piercing Pagoda at Southern Park Mall.

Dominique L. Clark, 24, of Kendis Circle, is charged with theft, assaulting an officer, resisting arrest and obstructing official business and is to be arraigned in Mahoning County Area Court here this evening.

When police arrived at the mall, Clark was being detained by mall security.

She refused to give any identification and was handcuffed when she grabbed the responding officer’s shirt and hands before kicking him, according to a report.

Beatitude House receives $5,000 grant

YOUNGSTOWN

Beatitude House received a $5,000 grant from the Senator Maurice and Florence Lipscher Charitable Trust to support the education and career program, which provides participants with individualized support they need to meet education and career goals.

Beatitude House provides homeless women and children a place to live while they work to gain stability and achieve permanent housing. The education and career program helps women to focus on furthering their education, gaining employment and overcoming obstacles they face.

In 2012, 48 percent of the women seeking employment obtained jobs, while 66 percent of the women in transitional housing attended post-secondary education programs. Others attended GED preparation or other classes.

The Lipscher trust is administered by the PNC Charitable Trust Grant Review Committee.

MYCAP to offer free computer classes

YOUNGSTOWN

Mahoning-Youngstown Community Action Partnership (MYCAP), 1325 Fifth Ave., Youngstown, is offering free computer literacy classes for adults 18 and over in July.

Made possible through the Every Citizen Online grant from Connect Ohio, these sessions are for those who have no knowledge or skills when they sit behind a computer keyboard or monitor, not for those who already have some understanding of computers.

The three-session class focuses on: “Introduction to Computers,” “Microsoft for Beginners” and “Introduction to the Internet.”

Participants must attend three two-hour sessions. The classes are 10 a.m. to noon, 1 to 3 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday; July 23, 24, 25; and July 29, 30, 31.

Advance registration is required. Call Kim at MYCAP at 330-747-7921, ext. 1190.

Wheelbarrow theft

CANFIELD

John Purucker, 60, of Youngstown has been charged with stealing a wheelbarrow from Bernard-Daniels Lumber Company on Railroad Street, according to police.

The theft occurred Saturday afternoon and Purucker was identified from a surveillance tape on Monday, police said.

He has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor theft in the case.

He was turned over to Austintown police on a warrant charging him with stealing a generator from Tractor Supply Inc.

He pleaded not guilty to theft in that matter.