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Two accused of attacking home of witness
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Two men are in the Mahoning County jail on $250,000 for trying to force their way into the home of a witness in an upcoming criminal trial, and police are also looking for two more suspects.
Christopher Bridges, 20, of Megan Circle, and Melvin Johnson, 21, no address listed, were arraigned Wednesday before Magistrate Anthony Sertick via video from the jail. They are each charged with four counts of felonious assault and a single count of attempted aggravated burglary.
Bridges was arrested at his home about 3:45 p.m. Tuesday by members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force on warrants without incident. Johnson was already in the jail on other charges when he was charged.
Police were called to a home in the 100 block of South Forest Avenue on the East Side just before midnight May 13, where a 24-year-old man told them three men tried to get inside his home.
The man told police he heard a knock on the door and there were three men outside his home – one on the side of the home, one in the drive next to a vehicle and one in the front yard, reports said.
The man said the person on the side of the house had a gun and one of the men called out to him that the man had his property and he wanted it returned.
Then one of the suspects tried to get inside, but the homeowner said he pushed the man away from the door as he heard gunfire.
The homeowner then heard several shots. When the gunfire ceased, he looked out the window and saw a car driving away, reports said.
Police found a shell casing in the driveway, reports said.
Assistant Prosecutor Shelli Freeze told Sertick the victim is a witness in an upcoming trial in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.
City Prosecutor Dana Lantz said police are looking for two other people who were involved.