Man arrested on drug charges after long foot chase

March 8, 2016 at 12:03a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Police arrested three people on felony drug charges over the weekend, including a man who led them on a long foot chase.

Officers also charged two other people in separate incidents over the weekend who also ran from police.

Larry McHellon, 29, of North Maryland Avenue, was arraigned Monday before Judge Robert Milich in municipal court on charges of possession of heroin, illegal conveyance of prohibited items into a detention facility, obstructing official business, resisting arrest and driving under suspension after he was arrested about 12:40 p.m. Saturday at his home.

Reports said officers George Anderson and Greg Tackett spotted a car driven by McHellon on Interstate 680 that matched the description of a stolen car. Reports said a records check found the car was not stolen but it did have a large crack in the windshield, so the officers tried to pull the car over on Millet Avenue.

The car stopped, and McHellon ran out, reports said, ignoring several orders to stop. He ran through several yards, jumped several fences and made it toward Borts Park, then ran toward Belle Vista Avenue, where another officer joined the foot chase. Reports said as McHellon got closer to his home, he was reaching toward his waist as though he may have had a weapon. He was warned to raise his hands but did not, so he was stunned with an electronic stun weapon, and officers then were able to catch him. When he was booked into the Mahoning County jail, corrections officers found a dose of suspected heroin on him, reports said.

McHellon also was charged with several probation violations. His bond was set at $34,000.

Arrested on charges of possession of cocaine about 7:05 p.m. Saturday after a traffic stop at Gibson and Cameron avenues were Seth Robinson, 29, of Lisbon and Robert Tovarnak, 47, of East Midlothian Boulevard. Reports said they were pulled over after officer Joe Burnich spotted them sitting in a car with no lights on in an area known for drug sales.

Reports said Robinson, the driver, gave permission to search the vehicle, and an officer found a jacket in the back seat that had an item in an inside pocket that is used to smoke crack cocaine. A dose of suspected crack cocaine also was found under the driver’s seat. Tovarnak said the drugs were not his but he would not say who they belonged to, reports said. Robinson denied the drugs were his, reports said.

Both were arrested. Judge Millich set bond at $5,000 for Tovarnak and $12,500 for Robinson, who also had a warrant.

About 5:25 p.m. Sunday, Jerrell Gibbs, 34, of Garfield Avenue, was cited on charges of resisting arrest and driving under suspension after reports said he was the driver of a vehicle that collided with the rear of a car at West Delason and Rosedale avenues. Reports said Gibbs told officer Anthony Trimble he had a suspended license, and when Trimble asked to see his identification, Gibbs first tried to walk away, then tried to run away. Trimble was able to catch him and take him to the ground and get him handcuffed, but Gibbs still struggled, reports said. He was issued a citation and released.

About 11:50 p.m. Saturday, Dominic Felicano, 20, of Youngstown, was arrested on a charge of failure to comply after reports said officer Kenneth Garling tried to pull him over for an equipment infraction, but instead of stopping, Felicano continued driving until he reached the driveway of a home in the 3000 block of Loveland Road.

Felicano was booked into the jail but released Sunday on his own recognizance, according to jail records.