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Woman runs from cops, leaves kids in car
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
A woman who police said ran from her car Monday morning — abandoning her 5- and 6-year-old children — also ignored requests by police to come back for them, reports said.
Antwanisha Jones, 23, of Youngstown, is in the Mahoning County jail on a probation violation and a contempt-of-court charge. Reports said she ran from a car that was parked with the engine running in the 1300 block of Dogwood Lane about 1:20 a.m. Monday.
Reports said there were two women in the vehicle when officers working a Youngstown Metropolitan Housing Authority patrol pulled up to investigate. As they did so, Jones, the driver of the car, tried to crawl across the front-seat passenger and go out the passenger door, reports said.
The woman told police they were on their way to a relative’s home because their car had a dead battery, and they were going to jump-start it, reports said.
Reports said a records check revealed Jones had warrants, and as an officer went to his cruiser with her identification, she jumped a fence and ran away — leaving her children in the back of the car.
Officers checked the area but could find no sign of Jones, reports said. Reports said the officers asked the passenger, Izalena Menton, 24, to call Jones on her cellphone. Menton got hold of Jones and asked her to come back and allowed an officer to speak, reports said.
Reports said the officer told Jones if she did not come back, her children would be placed with the Mahoning County Children Services. Reports said Jones did not come back and also did not return several calls made to her.
Menton, who also had a warrant for driving under suspension, was arrested. Police could find no relatives to care for the children so they were placed in the custody of children services.
Jail records show Jones was booked into the jail Tuesday but an arrest report from police was not available Wednesday.