METRO DIGEST || Niles police chief retiring

Niles chief retiring

NILES

Niles Police Chief Robert Hinton, a 32-year veteran of the department, has submitted his letter of retirement to Mayor Thomas Scarnecchia. He has been on sick leave since early in the year.

According to the police department’s Facebook page, Hinton, named chief in 2011, was one of the few officers left on the force who served during the 1985 tornado. He was the first officer to call the tornado into dispatch as the storm came into town.

Hinton also was instrumental in bringing dashboard camera technology into the department in the early 2000s.

Woman cited for crash

YOUNGSTOWN

Police say a woman who crashed her car at Wallace and High streets on the South Side at about 9:05 p.m. Monday had a blood-alcohol content more than twice the legal intoxication limit.

Reports said when officer Mark Sember arrived at the accident scene, Brandy Bratt, 25, of Market Street, stumbled toward him smelling heavily of alcohol.

Reports said witnesses told police Bratt was traveling at a high rate of speed before she crashed her car into a pole.

Bratt failed a field-sobriety test and told police she does not drive because she has been in prison her whole life.

At the police department, Bratt took a breath test and her BAC was 0.206, reports said. In Ohio, a BAC more than 0.08 is considered legally drunk.

She was issued citations for failure to control and operating a vehicle while impaired with a specification because of her high BAC.

Man hit with cane

CAMPBELL

A man was arraigned Tuesday in Campbell Municipal Court on a domestic-violence charge after being accused of striking another man in the face with a cane at a Warhurst Road residence.

A 50-year-old Campbell man told police Thomas Millick, 55, of Campbell walked into his house and hit him with the cane. Police observed the 50-year-old man had a swollen left cheek, and he appeared to be bleeding slightly under the skin.

Millick, who police said seemed intoxicated, told officers the other man had struck him three times in the ribs. Police did not observe marks on Millick’s ribs, according to a police report.

Officers arrested Millick and started to book him at the city jail, but then transported him to the Mahoning County jail after Millick expressed suicidal thoughts.

Prayer petition

COLUMBUS

A group that wants to amend the state constitution to allow prayer in public schools has resubmitted its petition language to the attorney general, three years after that office rejected an earlier version of the proposal.

The Coalition to Return Prayer to Our Public Schools submitted its petition paperwork last week, along with 1,400-plus initial signatures.

The group’s “Amendment to Return Prayer to Our Public Schools” would add language to the Ohio Constitution ensuring citizens’ right to “express their religious beliefs.”

Pending review by the attorney general and the state Ballot Board, the group would have to collect more than 300,000 signatures to qualify for the ballot.

Construction adjusted

LISBON

To minimize the public’s inconvenience during the July 4th holiday, the construction schedule for the Ohio Department of Transportation’s $463,000 safety improvement project underway at the intersection of state Routes 164 and 558 between Leetonia and Lisbon has been adjusted so both roads will be open during the holiday.

After the holiday, work will resume on paving the surface course, and traffic will be maintained by flaggers.

The project will improve the sight distance and roadway design by reconstructing more than 900 feet of Route 164 and more than 400 feet of Route 558.

Route 164, which closed June 13, is being detoured on U.S. Route 30 east to state Route 11 north to state Route 344 east, back to Route 164.

Route 558 traffic will be detoured on state Route 517 west to state Route 45 north, back to Route 558 east.

Meeting canceled

VIENNA

Western Reserve Port Authority has canceled its meeting for today. Its next regular meeting is set for July 20.

Ordinance passed

CRAIG BEACH

Village council has passed an ordinance to enact Chapter 539 of the Codified Ordinances Concerning the Emission of Noise to become effective immediately.

A copy of the entire ordinance is available for viewing at the municipal building, 2538 Grandview Road.

Multiple charges

CAMPBELL

A man faces charges of failure to comply with the order of a police officer, reckless operation of a vehicle, possession of drug-abuse instruments and drug possession after a traffic stop at about 5:30 p.m. Monday.

Police reported seeing a car driven by William Pruchnic, 56, of New Castle, Pa., swerving across center lines on Wilson Avenue.

According to a police report, after officers activated sirens and lights, Pruchnic pulled over to the side of the road and struck a guard rail before starting to drive again.

He eventually pulled over near Snyder Avenue.

Police reported Pruchnic tried to conceal two small bags of suspected heroin before being ordered out of the vehicle.

Officers reported finding six hypodermic needles in the car.

Police transported Pruchnic to the Mahoning County jail.

He was arraigned Tuesday in Campbell Municipal Court.