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Cops arrest three within four hours on heroin related charges
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Four people arrested or cited by police within a four-hour period Friday on charges relating to heroin usage – two of whom overdosed – were arraigned Monday in municipal court.
Katie Clark, 28, of Woodbine Avenue Southeast in Warren, is in the Mahoning County jail on $10,000 bond after she was arraigned on a third-degree felony charge of tampering with evidence; and Christopher Donnelly, 23, of Wheatland Road in West Middlesex, Pa., is in the jail on $15,000 bond after his arraignment on charges of possession of heroin, possession of a drug-abuse instrument and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Police were called about 3:40 p.m. Friday to a 2701 Market St. parking lot for a report of an overdose, and when they arrived, they found Clark splashing water on Donnelly’s face and trying to wake him up, reports said. Between Donnelly’s legs was a bag that had a syringe and burnt spoon inside, reports said, which Clark grabbed despite orders from police to leave the bag alone.
An officer grabbed the bag and also found a dose of suspected heroin inside, reports said.
Reports said Donnelly was turning blue and not breathing before paramedics showed up and were able to revive him. Clark told police she worked with Donnelly in Sharon and agreed to give him a ride to Youngstown for $10, reports said. Inside the car, police found another needle filled with suspected heroin, reports said. Donnelly was taken to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital to be treated before he was transferred to the jail.
About 4:05 p.m., police issued citations to Scott Bowden, 30, of Canfield, for driving under the influence after he told a police officer he had been driving after he injected himself with heroin. Bowden was being taken to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital to be treated for a heroin overdose he suffered while driving.
Police said while he overdosed, he hit a parked truck making a delivery at 1 Performance Place.
Bowden was sentenced to probation Nov. 10 in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court on a charge of obstructing official business and ordered to attend drug treatment at the Neil Kennedy clinic, according to court records.
The charge stemmed from a June 24 arrest after reports said he almost ran down police Lt. William Ross, who was working a traffic detail at Market Street and Falls Avenue and was out of his cruiser. Bowden was caught after a chase. Reports said Bowden told police he did not stop when he was being chased because he knew he almost hit an officer, and was throwing drugs out of the car and also was swallowing some.
Bowden said at his Sept. 29 plea hearing he has been through treatment before, and at one time was off drugs for 18 months. He has several drug and theft offenses on his record, and once served three years in prison.
Reports said police took two samples of blood from Bowden with his permission. He was released on citation and has a pretrial hearing set for Jan. 11.
Also arraigned Monday was Vilma K. Fernandez, 32, of Alexander Avenue, on charges of possessing drug-abuse instruments, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of heroin and child endangering. Reports said Fernandez was a passenger in a van driven by her 17-year-old son that was pulled over just before 8 p.m. at South and East Boston avenues for an illegal turn. Reports said her 17-year-old niece and 8-year-old daughter also were in the van.
Fernandez was asked to get out of the van because she kept hiding her hands in her pockets, reports said. Reports said she told police she had a spoon and syringe in her pockets as well as two doses of heroin in her bra. Police allowed her son to drive home with his sister and cousin.
Judge Milich set her bond at $20,000.