Boardman rape case to go before grand jury

Staff report

BOARDMAN

The case of a Boardman man charged with rape will go before a grand jury.

Jeffrey Johnston, 33, of Northlawn Avenue waived his right to a preliminary hearing in Mahoning County Area Court on Tuesday.

Johnston was arrested early Nov. 1 after a woman told police that Johnston sexually assaulted her in the bathroom during a Halloween party in an apartment building on Lockwood Boulevard.

When police arrived, they found the victim sitting on the side of the road on Lockwood, “visibly upset and crying hysterically,” according to a police report.

Police then went to the apartment complex, where the party was ongoing, and located Johnston. Johnston denied having sexual contact with the woman.

He was arrested and taken to the Mahoning County jail. The victim was taken to St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital.

Johnston was released on bond before his Nov. 4 arraignment.

The case will go to Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, where a grand jury will decide whether or not to indict Johnston.