Woman arrested for harboring boyfriend

By Joe Gorman

jgorman@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

A woman police say was trying to hide her boyfriend from U.S. marshals was arrested at her East Hudson Avenue home.

Also arrested was the boyfriend, Brian Thomas, 40, on a warrant for charges of aggravated robbery, after he tried to run out of the home when marshals came looking for him about 10:15 a.m. Tuesday.

Reports said Rasheeda Butler came to the door of her home when marshals knocked and told them that Thomas was not there and she was upset with them because she had told them repeatedly Thomas was not there.

Marshals told Butler that Thomas was using her home as an address and they had to check it, reports said.

Butler demanded to see a warrant for Thomas, which she was shown, before she would let marshals in, and when they came in, she ran toward a downstairs bathroom, reports said.

Marshals checked the bathroom and found the screen hanging out the window and spotted Thomas in the backyard. He was caught and ordered to lie on the ground, but he told the marshal trying to arrest him he did not want to get on the ground because he was wearing white shorts and did not want to get them dirty, reports said.

As the marshal went to grab her handcuffs, Thomas took off running and was caught by another marshal in a yard in the 700 block of Palmer Avenue, reports said.

Butler was taken to the Mahoning County jail on a charge of obstruction of justice while Thomas was arrested on the robbery warrant, reports said.

Butler’s bond was set at 10 percent of $1,500 by Visiting Judge Barbara Watson at her arraignment in municipal court Wednesday.

Thomas’ bond was set at $100,000.

A police report said Thomas is a suspect in an April 8 robbery in a South Avenue parking lot. The male victim in that robbery said someone pointed a gun at him and took $100, his keys and his cellphone.