4th man arraigned on charges tied to Warren homicide

Staff report

WARREN

A fourth man was arraigned Wednesday in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court in the death of a Warren man and wounding of a Warren woman April 7.

Tyler Meardith, 23, of Clearwater Street Northwest and Laser Road in Leavittsburg, was transported to the county jail Tuesday night and was arraigned Wednesday on charges of complicity to murder, complicity to aggravated burglary, complicity to felonious assault and complicity to aggravated robbery.

Judge Ronald Rice set bond at $2 million after Meardith pleaded not guilty.

Law-enforcement officers arrested Meardith last week in Cuyahoga County, where he was placed in the county jail there until extradition back to Trumbull County was complete.

He’s charged in the April 7 shooting death of James R. Levels, 64, of Beal Street Northwest and wounding of Lisa Prater, 48, at Prater’s home in the 900 block of South Street Southeast.

Prater later told police two men came into the home in an apparent robbery that turned deadly. Police have not said what role the four men played or whether some of them remained outside the home.

Others charged in the case are Michael Settle, 26, of Sherman Avenue in Niles; Beau A. Palmer, 30, of Clermont Avenue Northeast; and James Stein, 29, of Atlantic Street Northeast. All three were arraigned earlier. Most of the charges for all four men contain specifications that the crimes were committed with a firearm.

If convicted of the charges, all four men face the possibility of a life prison sentence.