Struthers man faces charges of DUI

Struthers man faces charges of DUI

CAMPBELL

Police arrested a 50-year-old Struthers man on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and for having drug paraphernalia in the vehicle.

Police noticed Robert Slepski in his vehicle when he failed to stop at a stop sign on Blackburn when turning onto Robinson Road. After following him, police pulled him over.

Police reported they smelled alcohol on his breath and noticed an open beer can in his passenger seat, along with powdery residue on his left pant leg. After giving him several sobriety tests, he was arrested and taken to the Coitsville Police Department to take a test that revealed a 0.151 blood-alcohol content. The legal intoxication limit in Ohio is 0.08.

Police took Slepski to the city jail, where he posted an $820 bond and was released.

Church plans fest

YOUNGSTOWN

New Bethel Baptist Church Outreach Ministry will offer a “H.O.P.E. Fest” from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the L.A. Simon Building, 1524 Hillman St.

The acronym stands for “Helping Others Prepare for Eternity.” The event will offer food, dance, music and fellowship.

The outreach ministry also will offer worship and praise through “Come as You Are” services at 7:30 and 10:40 a.m. Sunday at New Bethel Baptist Church, 1507 Hillman St.

For information on the events, contact Victoria Allen at 330-360-8460.

Man arraigned

AUSTINTOWN

A man who reportedly entered a man’s apartment bedroom high on acid and wanting to see Jesus was arraigned Monday.

Alex J. Kotch, 21, of Georgetown Place, appeared in Mahoning County Area Court and posted his $8,000 cash or surety bond. He is charged with public indecency, resisting arrest, assault of a police officer and burglary. His pretrial is set for 1 p.m. Sept. 15, and a week later, Sept. 22, he is due in court for another pretrial hearing in a misdemeanor drug-abuse case from earlier this month.

In the latter case, he entered a man’s apartment early Thursday and would not leave and kept talking about how he was high on acid and wanted to see Jesus in heaven. He became combative with officers when they tried to remove him from a bed in the apartment. He punched an officer in the face and urinated on a dining-room floor after he was in handcuffs, according to a report.

Lowellville school panels to meet

LOWELLVILLE

The Lowellville school board athletic committee will have a meeting 5 p.m. today in the conference room of the main office, 52 Rocket Place.

Vacant house burns

YOUNGSTOWN

Fire reports say a vacant 184 E. Ravenwood Ave. home was destroyed by fire early Monday.

árews arriving just before 2 a.m. found the house fully engulfed. Reports said firefighters protected surrounding homes and allowed the home to burn to the ground. Damage is listed at $12,600. No one was injured. The cause is listed as arson.

Road closing

LISBON

State Route 170 at Fredericktown in Columbiana County will be closed between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., next week, beginning Mondayfor tree-trimming work and vegetation management.

The Ohio Department of Transportation’s Columbiana County crew is expected to work on Route 170 for the next month during those hours. Work will begin at the intersection of Route 170 and state Route 11. Traffic will be detoured north on Route 11 to state Route 7 north to state Route 154 east back to Route 170 and reverse. Motorists should plan ahead to avoid delays.

Facing drug charges

PITTSBURGH

A Lawrence County cocaine distributor is facing 10 years to life in prison and a fine of up to $10 million after he recently pleaded guilty in federal court, the U.S. attorney said.

Jordan Viccari, 24, of Wampum, Pa., pleaded guilty in a cocaine-distribution conspiracy case before U.S. District Judge Terrence F. McVerry, who will sentence him at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 21.

Viccari conspired with others to distribute 11 pounds or more of cocaine between May and October 2013, the U.S. Attorney said.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.

Grant announced

WASHINGTON

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, announced a $200,640 grant to Youngstown State University and a $347,096 grant to Kent State University, both from the National Science Foundation.

YSU professor Ruigang Wang is providing research to help improve the performance of systems primarily used in the automobile industry to convert dangerous carbon-monoxide emissions to less-harmful substances. The research is further impacted by the inclusion of community-college faculty from the surrounding region as part of the research team.

Kent professor Oleg Lavrentovich is researching further liquid-crystal advancement for which the university already is well-known. The project addresses important challenges regarding the presence of defects in the liquid crystal. Improved understanding of liquid-crystal anchoring and defect dynamics will allow for higher resolution, faster display devices.