Oil spill into river

Oil spill into river

WARREN

The city fire department Monday responded to what officials called a “small” oil spill into the Mahoning River.

Responders reportedly traced the spill to a storm sewer in an industrial area near Griswold Avenue, but an exact source had not been determined as of late Monday night.

The fire department put in place measures to help contain the spill and will finish cleaning it up in the next few days, an official said.

A hazardous-materials team and workers with the Trumbull County Sanitary Engineer’s office and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency also responded.

Charged with assault

WARREN

Eugene Wallace, 37, of Washington Street Northeast is being held without eligibility to make bond in the Trumbull County Jail after being charged with injuring a neighbor with a martial-arts weapon Saturday afternoon.

A not-guilty plea was entered to felonious assault Monday in Warren Municipal Court, and he pleaded not guilty to criminal damaging.

The victim, 58, said he was speaking to a resident of his new apartment complex in the 200 block of Washington about the other resident using his parking space. That’s when Wallace “came out of nowhere and began yelling at him,” then struck him on the side of his face with nunchucks, causing a visible cut, police said.

15th license suspension

YOUNGSTOWN

Reports said a man who had 14 open suspensions on his license received his 15th about 8:45 p.m. Saturday after he was pulled over for playing his music too loudly.

Reports said Morton Hiles, 28, of Volney Road, also had a warrant for failing to appear in municipal court on a driving-under-suspension charge. Reports said Hiles was pulled over in the 100 block of South Meridan Road after an officer who was at least 200 feet away from his car could hear music coming from it.

Hiles told the officer he had just gotten the stereo equipment and did not realize it was that loud, reports said. He was taken to the Mahoning County jail.

Arrested on warrants

YOUNGSTOWN

A man wanted on a warrant for a probation violation on a domestic-violence charge was arrested about 9:45 a.m. Saturday after police followed the bus he was on.

Reports said officers were called to a home on Anoka Avenue for a fight between a man and a woman, and when they arrived they learned the man, Reginald White, 45, of Anoka Avenue, had a warrant from November stemming from violating parole on a domestic-violence charge in July from municipal court.

Witnesses told police White got on a Western Reserve Transit Authority bus in the Glenwood Avenue area. Police found the bus and followed it to Glennwood and Ferndale avenues, where White exited the bus. He then was arrested, reports said.

White also has a warrant from Trumbull County, reports said. He was taken to the Mahoning County jail.

Sentenced in theft

WARREN

Frank L. Covington, 26, of Milwaukee was sentenced to one year in prison Monday for stealing items from the Liberty Walmart last July and punching a Walmart security officer in the face while trying to flee.

Covington pleaded guilty last month to robbery, receiving stolen property and possessing criminal tools before Judge Peter Kontos.

Liberty police said store security observed Covington putting a baby monitor, nursery organizer and baby thermometer into a new backpack, removing a sensor from the monitor with a magnetic key, putting the backpack in a shopping bag and walking past the registers and into the store vestibule.

Upon seeing security officers, he dropped the backpack and tried to run, then punched a security officer but still was taken to the store security office.

Menacing charge

YOUNGSTOWN

A former employee of Youngstown State University who used to clean the university police station was arrested on a warrant by Niles police Sunday evening on a charge of threatening his supervisor.

Brandon Martin, 27, no address available, was arraigned Monday before Judge Robert Milich in municipal court on a charge of menacing. Judge Milich set his bond at 10 percent of $2,500.

Reports said university police were called Aug. 15 to Smith Hall on campus, where a supervisor told them Martin was upset his paycheck was not ready and no one called to tell him it would be late. The supervisor told police Martin threatened to beat him up, reports said. Reports said Martin used to clean the university police station on the night shift.

A warrant was issued for Martin on Aug. 19, but he was not taken into custody until Sunday evening.

Man is hit, stabbed

WARREN

A man, 48, of Warren and Youngstown, was hit in the back of the head and suffered a severe stab wound to the arm by a man who approached him as he walked along West Market Street on Saturday evening.

The victim said he was walking along a path near the Avon Oaks apartments when the other male approached him about 8 p.m.

The male, about 5 feet 10 inches tall and 200 pounds, wearing a white hooded sweatshirt, blue jogging pants and a gray baseball hat, asked the victim what he had in his pockets, then assaulted him with a fist and knife.

The victim said he got up after being stabbed and ran to his apartment.

Charged with burglary

NILES

David C. Altman, 36, of Hughes Avenue, Weathersfield Township, was arraigned Monday in Niles Municipal Court in the burglary of a neighbor’s home last March.

A cigarette left behind was the key to solving the crime, police said.

No plea was required, and bond of $15,000 was set. Weathersfield police were called to Altman’s neighbor’s house March 5, 2015, where police found that the house had been ransacked and copper pipe taken from the basement.

A cigarette butt was found on the floor of the dining room, but the homeowner did not smoke, police said. The DNA was a match to Altman, police said. The burglary charge was filed in April, but Altman was picked up by Hubbard police at a location on Jacobs Road on Sunday.

Telephone fraud

BOARDMAN

A resident told police he was a victim of a telephone fraud Friday. The victim said while attempting to find health care coverage online, he received a phone call from a company.

The resident said the caller contacted him through the online application, and required his personal and banking information — which he submitted.

Hours later, the victim checked his banking account to find four separate charges totaling more than $800. When he attempted to call the number given to him by the health insurance company to cancel the account, the call only sent him to an answering machine.

Accused of biting cop

YOUNGSTOWN

Judge Robert Milich on Monday set bond at $5,000 for a woman accused of biting the hand of a Mercy Health police officer earlier in the morning in the emergency room at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital.

Reports said officers were called about 5 a.m. because Heather Hall, 42, of South Schenley Avenue, was giving nurses and other staff trouble. Reports said she was yelling and refused to get in her bed, but an officer managed to calm her down and she did get in her bed.

Hall, however, became irate when she was told she had to give her personal items to hospital staff so she could be admitted. Reports said an officer tried to calm her but she bit his hand. The officer then tried to pull his hand away, but Hall’s grip was so hard that her head hit the side of her bed while still biting the officer’s hand.

Hall had a bruised eye when she was arraigned via video hookup from the Mahoning County jail. She told Judge Milich the officer punched her in the face. Hall faces a misdemeanor charge of assault.

Board work session

LORDSTOWN

The Lordstown Board of Public Affairs has scheduled a work session to discuss billing and special provisions at 4 p.m. today at the administration building, 1455 Salt Springs Road.

Committee to meet

WARREN

The Warren City Council police and fire committee will meet at 3 p.m. today in the council caucus room of the municipal justice building, 141 South St. SE.