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Suspect in crash that killed Youngstown woman pleads not guilty
BOARDMAN
The woman police say was the driver in a car crash that killed a 23-year-old woman appeared in court Thursday on charges related to the incident.
Nicole Mitchell, 32, of Argyle Avenue, appeared in Mahoning County Area Court here for arraignment on a misdemeanor charge of complicity to commit theft and a felony charge of failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer. She might face additional charges from Youngstown police related to the accident, which killed Taylor Duvall, 23, of Youngstown.
Mitchell entered not-guilty pleas to both charges Thursday afternoon. Judge Joseph M. Houser set her bond at $50,000 and $5,000 for the felony and misdemeanor charges, respectively.
She was taken back to the Mahoning County jail after her court appearance. She is scheduled to be back in court Feb. 7.
Mitchell was taken into custody on the charges by Boardman police Wednesday night after she was released from St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital.
They stem from an incident that occurred early Tuesday.
Township police were dispatched to the Walgreens at Market Street and U.S. Route 224 in reference to a theft shortly before 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. A store employee reported to police that suspects fled the scene after one woman left the store with a cart full of items, including diapers and deodorant.
Shortly thereafter, a township police officer saw a red Honda matching the description from the theft incident near South Avenue and Midlothian Boulevard. The driver, later identified as Mitchell, reportedly fled from police after the officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop.
Police then found the vehicle wrecked at Zedaker and Compton avenues on Youngstown’s South Side. Duvall was pronounced dead at the scene, and Mitchell was located hiding under a sandbox at a nearby residence.
An autopsy conducted by Mahoning County forensic pathologist Dr. Joseph Ohr found that Duvall suffered head and neck injuries in the accident.
Court records indicate that Mitchell is facing other charges in Mahoning County Area Court here that were filed in October. Those charges are endangering children, permitting drug abuse and possessing drug-abuse instruments.