Heroin dealer facing manslaughter charge


By John W. Goodwin Jr.

jgoodwin@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

A Youngstown man previously indicted for his involvement in a theft-for-heroin ring has been indicted again — this time for involuntary manslaughter.

A Mahoning County grand jury this week handed up indictments against Jamal Vaughn, 28, of Oak Lane, Youngstown, for felony trafficking in heroin and involuntary manslaughter.

Vaughn had been indicted in August on seven counts of drug trafficking in a separate case.

Martin Desmond, an assistant county prosecutor, said the most recent charges levied against Vaughn stem from the death of a woman in Vaughn’s home as an apparent result of heroin use.

“She was at his house. He supplied the drugs, and he helped carry her body out of the house to a car with the help of someone else,” said Desmond.

The indictment said the most recent incident involving Vaughn took place Feb. 12.

Charges from Vaughn’s August arrest are pending in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court. He is set for trial on those charges in early June before Judge Lou A. D’Apolito of the court.

Police contend that a list of several people would burglarize a home, stealing anything of value. Once they made off with the stolen goods, they would sell stolen jewelry mainly to an East Midlothian Boulevard coin and metals dealer.

Officials believe money obtained from the thefts would ultimately be used to purchase heroin from Vaughn.

Vaughn’s problems with the law do not stop with those two cases. He also has charges pending in a 2011 case for trafficking in drugs. An early June trial has also been set on those charges before Judge D’Apolito.