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Six arraigned on felony drug charges
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
It is typical in municipal court for a prosecutor to recite a defendant’s record during arraignments to the presiding judge in order to help determine a proper bond for a defendant.
Monday, Assistant City Prosecutor Kathy Thompson started reading the record of Kathryn Ratliff’s arrests as she was being arraigned on a felony possession of cocaine charge.
She stopped at 18 and said she was only halfway through the sheet.
A records check determined that Ratliff, 46, of West Montrose Avenue, has been arrested 58 times, on just criminal charges alone. She has 32 charges in municipal court, 25 in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court and one in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.
Her latest arrest occurred about 9 p.m. Friday, when vice officers on patrol saw her flagging down cars at West Warren and Hillman avenues, an area known for prostitution.
Reports said when officers went to handcuff her on a charge of soliciting for prostitution, she clenched her fists like she was trying to hide something.
Eventually, she unclenched her fists and the officers found two rocks of crack cocaine in her hand. She was taken to the county jail on a felony charge of possession of crack cocaine as well as the misdemeanor soliciting charge.
Ratliff told Judge Robert Milich she wanted to plead guilty to the soliciting charge to “get it out of the way,” but Judge Milich told her she could not do that at an initial appearance.
He advised her to talk to her court-appointed lawyer, and set her bond at $10,000.
Besides the arrests, Thompson told Judge Milich that Ratliff has failed to appear in municipal court alone at least nine times in the past. Her arrest record stretches back to at least 1996.
She was one of six people to be arraigned who were arrested on felony drug charges over the weekend. Two of those were arrested with cocaine, three with heroin and one with marijuana.
Holly Hughes, 42, of East Palestine was arrested by police about 2:25 p.m. Friday at West Warren and Oak Hill avenues after a vehicle she was a passenger in was pulled over and police found a dose of heroin on her and $147 in cash. She was arraigned on a charge of possession of heroin and given a bond of $7,500.
She asked Judge Milich if she could be given a recognizance bond because she just had a baby and she wanted to see her child.
“She’s the only little girl I got,” Hughes said. “I miss her.”
Given a bond of $6,500 on charges of driving under suspension and trafficking in drugs was Jarel Gadson, 20, of Alameda Avenue. He was arrested after a traffic stop in the 1800 block of Oakwood Avenue, and police found several bags of marijuana, including some inside a postal pouch that had a Texas address on it. Gadson also had more than $550 cash on him and told police he did not work.
Christina Fernandez, 32, of East Avondale Avenue, also was given a bond of $5,000 on a charge of possession of heroin. She was found walking in the roadway about 6:45 p.m. Saturday in the 3100 block of Rush Boulevard and had a dose of heroin on her, reports said.
Shelly Wilson, 51, no address available, was given a bond of $6,500 on charges of possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving under suspension. Details of her arrest were not available.
Michael Yourick, 23, of Medford Avenue, was given a bond of $5,000 on a charge of possession of heroin. He was arrested just before midnight Saturday on a traffic violation at East Lucius and South avenues, reports said.
Reports said he gave officers consent to search his car, and they found a dose of heroin in his wallet, which was on the front seat.