Man pleads guilty to drug charges

Man pleads guilty to drug charges

PITTSBURGH

A federal judge has sentenced a 28-year-old Sharon, Pa., man to 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute more than 6 ounces of crack cocaine.

Senior U.S. District Judge Gustave Diamond imposed the sentence Wednesday on Maurice Davis Jr. for the April 12, 2012, offense. Davis, a career offender, and others sold crack from a Sharon “stash house,” the U.S. attorney said.

Pennsylvania State Police and Southwest Mercer County Regional Police investigated the case. Davis will be on five years’ of supervised release after serving his sentence.

Drugs found in car

YOUNGSTOWN

Police found 204 pills and three large bags of marijuana in a car that was parked at a 1821 Mahoning Ave. store about 2:15 p.m. Thursday.

An officer checked the car because it was parked in a handicapped space without a sticker and when a woman inside, Melissa R. Mills, 24, of Youngstown, opened the door to talk to him, he smelled a strong odor of marijuana, reports said.

After a check of the car, the pills were found in a plastic bag, reports state.

Mills was arrested on charges of possession of dangerous drugs, trafficking in drugs and driving under suspension and was taken to the Mahoning County jail.

ODOT receives no bids from salt companies

COLUMBUS

The Ohio Department of Transportation asked for but received no bids from salt companies for road salt needed by local communities.

ODOT asked salt companies Feb. 5 to bid on 10,000 ton increments of salt to be delivered to seven strategic locations during three rounds.

ODOT wanted at least 150,000 tons of salt for communities with depleted supplies.

The agency planned to charge nothing for the salt, instead asking communities to return the salt once their supplies were replenished.

The 10-day bidding period ended Friday.

ODOT said it is exploring alternative ways to get road salt into Ohio and provide it free of charge.

Primary candidates, issues certified

WARREN

The Trumbull County Board of Elections on Friday certified candidates and issues for the May 6 primary except five candidates attempting to run for Democratic and Republican Trumbull County central committees.

Republicans disqualified were Susanne Kacsandi of Warren and Ellen Vossler of Bloomfield Township.

Democrats disqualified were Joseph R. Scirocco Jr. of Mesopotamia Township, Daniel Faustino of Brookfield Township and Edward M. Freisen of Newton Falls.

In Vossler’s case, she was ineligible because she voted the Democratic ballot in the 2012 primary. Kacsandi turned in her petition form two days too late. The three others were missing necessary information or sufficient signatures on their petitions.

Fraud warning issued

YOUNGSTOWN

Residents of Mahoning County and surrounding counties who receive assistance from the Home Energy Assistance Program are warned that fraudulent HEAP calls are being made in the area.

HEAP does not require bank information. The Mahoning Youngstown Community Action Partnership and the Ohio Development Services Agency never ask for any information about their clients’ financial institution because the energy assistance is not directly paid to the bank, but rather eligible households receive a credit, said Vesna Vukasinovich, MYCAP’s director of Home Energy Services.

Reports indicate that the calls are coming from a 1-800 number and in all cases the caller states “HEAP” was awarded extra money to assist with customers because of the recent cold snap.

Residents are urged not to provide personal information and to report the call to MYCAP at 330-747-7921, ext. 1734.

Man pleads not guilty

WARREN

Roderick Lewis Jr., a 24-year-old Warren man charged with charging more than $2,100 on a 92-year-old Howland woman’s credit cards and impersonating a police officer, was released after posting $25,000 bond Friday.

Lewis pleaded not guilty Friday in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court to six felony charges including theft from an elderly person and misuse of credit cards.

Lewis ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Warren Board of Education last year and has been honored for his participation in a number of community projects.

Howland police say the woman lost her purse at Kohl’s Department Store on June 5, then learned that charges of $2,050 had been made on her credit cards before she even got home.

Fire destroys house

MINERAL RIDGE

A house at 1458 Morris Street was a total loss in a 10:26 a.m. fire Friday.

The Vindicator’s print partner, 21 WFMJ-TV, reports that a family escaped from the home and the fire started when an electric space-heater ignited curtains in an upstairs bedroom.

No injuries were reported.

Man killed in accident at trucking company

WEST MIDDLESEX

A man was killed about 3 a.m. Friday when he was pinned between a truck and the trailer to the truck at Estes Express Line on Stefanek Drive in Shenango Township.

Police told 21 WFMJ-TV, the Vindicator’s broadcast partner, that the driver was trying to hook the trailer to the truck when the cab drifted backward. The victim’s name was not available.

Three drug arrests

EAST LIVERPOOL

The Columbiana County Drug Task Force made three arrests while serving search warrants Friday at three homes, including a man with ties to Trumbull and Mahoning counties.

The homes were on Bradshaw Avenue, Ogden Street and East Fifth Street and resulted in the recovery of heroin, crack cocaine and marijuana, drug paraphernalia, pills and $2,400 in cash.

Michael Childs, 28, was arrested on a warrant out of Trumbull County; Amy Corak, 34, and Anthony Williams, 22, were arrested on warrants out of East Liverpool Municipal Court.

Childs was living in Youngstown in 2010 when he was sentenced in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to a year in prison on several charges, including cocaine trafficking.