Charges in crash

Charges in crash

FOWLER

The Ohio State Highway Patrol said charges have been filed in a serious-injury crash involving a pedestrian that occurred Sunday on Ridge Road in Fowler Township.

Russell Lauer III, 43, of Cortland, is charged with aggravated vehicular assault and felony leaving the scene. Troopers from the Warren patrol post issued a warrant for Lauer’s arrest, taking him into custody at a family member’s home.

He was in the Trumbull County jail Monday night and is to be arraigned Wednesday in Central District Court.

The patrol said Lauer was northbound on Ridge when he drove off the right side and struck Brittany Szwedko, 27, of Cortland, as she was walking southbound. Lauer fled, but with the assistance of a witness and the Fowler Township Police Department, he was detained until troopers could arrive. The patrol said Lauer was under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

Szwedko remains in unstable condition at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital.

MCCTC locked down

CANFIELD

Mahoning County Career and Technical Center, 7300 N. Palmyra Road, was locked down Monday morning after a student received a threat via text message.

According to Canfield police, the text message threatened the student who received it and anyone else present at the school.

School administration and officers from Boardman and Canfield responded by securing the building, patrolling the perimeter of the facility and initiating an investigation to find the source of the threat.

Officers arrested an 18-year-old male who is not a student at MCCTC, in Boardman. He is charged with domestic violence, aggravated menacing, telecommunications harassment and inducing panic. Officers took him to an area hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. Canfield police will have custody after he is released from the hospital.

Woman suffers injury

WARREN

A woman, 35, of Rex Boulevard Northwest, suffered a leg injury Friday afternoon at her home as a result of what she said was an argument with her ex-boyfriend that resulted in her being dragged by his vehicle.

The woman said she was “hanging inside the passenger side of the vehicle” when he grabbed her arm and started driving, dragging her. He was driving about 20 miles per hour when he let go and she fell to the ground, she said.

She refused treatment from ambulance personnel and was advised how to file charges with the city prosecutor’s office. The incident occurred at 12:40 p.m.

Skype lecture planned

YOUNGSTOWN

Dr. Kelly Twomey Sanders, an assistant professor at the University of Southern California in the Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will give a Skype lecture at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Cushwa Hall Room B112 at Youngstown State University.

Sanders’ research quantifies how energy, water, food and climate systems interact with one another and the natural environment, through system-scale optimization and computational modeling.

The lecture is free. There is free on-street parking after 5 p.m. at the metered parking spaces along Lincoln Avenue and nearby streets.

Human trafficking

NORTH LIMA

South Range schools welcome Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper Rodney Ramps and Carrier Enforcement Supervisor Michael Schneider to give a presentation on the dangers of human trafficking.

School officials invite students in grades 7-12 and their parents to the K-12 Complex auditorium at 7 p.m. Wednesday to learn about human trafficking and preventive measures that can be taken.

Wellness clinics

Shepherd of the Valley is offering wellness clinics at four locations – Boardman, Niles, Poland and Howland – starting Wednesday.

Each site will host one clinic every month.

A registered or licensed practical nurse will check blood pressure and blood glucose levels. The clinics, from 10 to 11 a.m., are free to the public.

The clinics are at 7148 West Blvd., in the private dining room, Boardman, Wednesday; 1500 McKinley Ave., assisted-living library, Niles, March 9; 301 W. Western Reserve Road, private dining room, Poland, March 16; and 4100 N. River Road, private dining room, Howland, March 23.