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Taft teacher’s purse taken at gunpoint
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Detectives are trying to figure out who robbed a schoolteacher at Taft Elementary School at gunpoint early Tuesday.
Detective Sgt. Michael Lambert, who specializes in investigating robberies for the police department, said he also will be taking a look at an attempted robbery 7:45 p.m. Monday in the backyard of a home in the 500 block of East Philadelphia Avenue, which he said was in sight of the kitchen of the school on East Avondale Avenue.
Police were called to the school about 6:40 a.m. where the teacher said a man with a revolver fired a shot before taking her purse.
Stephen Stohla, Youngstown schools interim superintendent, said although he appreciates teachers getting to school so early – elementary schools start around 9 a.m. – the administration is looking into taking “whatever steps we need to take” to ensure staff safety – especially since daylight saving time ends Sunday, which will result in darker mornings.
Some of these steps include adding additional personnel outside Taft during school hours for extended hours.
Normally, security is stationed fulltime at Volney Rogers Middle School, East High School, Choffin Career and Technical Center and Chaney High School.
“We rotate security at the other [Youngstown] schools where we believe they are needed,” Stohla said.
He is thankful no one was hurt and wants to ensure the school district is doing whatever it can to have personnel assist teachers to prevent future incidents.
Classes still took place at the school.
Lambert said of all the robberies he has investigated this year, this was the first time someone who had a gun with them actually used it.
The robber managed to get away with the teacher’s purse, Lambert said.
In the robbery Monday, a 72-year-old woman told police she was in her back- yard when a man pushed her down and robbed her at gunpoint before running through several backyards. A police report did not say what was taken.
Lambert said there are some differences in both robberies, but because they were so close together, he is looking to see if they are related.
“You have to look at both of them,” Lambert said.
Lambert also said he is looking for Bruce Hasley Jr., 23, who has four robbery warrants out for him who may have been involved in one or both robberies, and is known to hang around the area. Court records show Hasley has warrants for robbery for two separate incidents on Sept. 12 and 14, and two warrants for aggravated robbery for incidents on Sept. 29 and Oct. 1.
Lambert said anyone with information on Hasley can call 911.