Grand jury refuses to indict men on abduction, felonious assault

Staff report

WARREN

A grand jury has refused to indict two men accused of felonious assault and abduction involving an 18-year-old Champion man and his girlfriend, 16, in October.

The two men are Greg R. Weilacher, 20, of Palmyra Road in Warren and Damon Avenue in Champion, and Robert E. Klein, 20, of Parkman Road Northwest in Warren and Madison Avenue in Youngstown.

Champion police said an 18-year-old Damon Avenue man reported that Weilacher and Klein held him and his girlfriend hostage in the basement of the Damon Street home.

The same grand jury also refused to indict C’Quan Cross, 19, of Fairmount Avenue in Youngstown on a felonious-assault charge connected to allegations he fired a handgun at another man in the Denny’s Restaurant parking lot on Belmont Avenue in Liberty in February.

Witnesses said two men were fighting in the restaurant lobby, then left the restaurant and got into separate cars.

One of the two then fired a gun two times at the other man’s car, hitting it, as the two vehicles left the lot. An unoccupied car in the lot also was hit, police said.

The grand jury did indict Darren S. Howell Jr., 21, of Atlantic Street Northeast, on charges of heroin possession and cocaine possession that could produce a prison sentence of 20 years if he’s convicted.

Police recovered five weapons, including two assault rifles, 30 grams of heroin and other items when they raided Howell’s home after a five-month investigation in November.