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Man pleads guilty at arraignment, sentenced to six months in jail
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Aaron Baldwin said he was tired of running, so he entered guilty pleas in municipal court Monday during his arraignment to charges of failure to comply and obstructing official business, as well as several traffic charges.
He was sentenced immediately to six months in jail and two years’ probation by Judge Elizabeth Kobly, who advised him to plead not guilty after she told him he qualified for court-appointed counsel, but Baldwin said he wanted to get the case behind him.
“I just got tired of running,” Baldwin said from the jail, where he was arraigned via video hookup. “I got myself in a lot of trouble.”
Baldwin, 25, of Outlook Avenue, was arrested about 3:20 p.m. Friday after an officer tried to pull him over on Bryson Street for having expired plates on his car. Reports said he drove away at high speed and ran through several stop signs before stopping at Benita and Kensington avenues, then jumping out of the car and running away.
He was caught by Officer Ryan Curry, who tried to pull him over, in the back yard of a home in the 100 block of Halleck Avenue.
Baldwin said at first he wanted to plead guilty because he was not sure if he qualified for court-appointed counsel. When Judge Kobly asked him a series of questions and determined he did, he said he still wanted to plead guilty. He said he knows his rights and just wants to get the case behind him.
It is unusual for people to plead guilty at their arraignments, especially when a judge tells them they should speak to a lawyer first.
Judge Kobly asked him why he just did not stop and accept a ticket for the plates. Baldwin said he thought he might have warrants, and police reports said he was wanted on two warrants from municipal court.
Judge Kobly said she takes a dim view of people who run from police. She said they are selfish because they think only of themselves and not of the people around them whose safety they are jeopardizing.
“What you did was stupid, sir,” Judge Kobly said. “I hope you understand that.”
The six-month sentence was given for the failure to comply charge. A 90-day sentence for the obstruction charge was stayed and will only be imposed if Baldwin violates his probation.