Mahoning deputy agrees to resign in plea deal for drunken-driving, weapons charges

YOUNGSTOWN

A deputy for the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office facing drunken-driving and weapons charges has agreed to drop his grievance to get his job back and resign as part of a plea agreement.

David Schialdone, 39, of Youngstown, entered guilty pleas Wednesday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court before Judge Lou D’Apolito to charges of operating a vehicle impaired and having weapons while intoxicated, both misdemeanors.

Prosecutors were recommending a sentence of probation and the minimum OVI sentence for a first-time offender, which is three days in jail or in a driver’s education program.

Judge D’Apolito sentenced Schialdone to six months’ probation.

Schialdone was cited after he was pulled over by the Ohio State Highway Patrol Feb. 19 on South Avenue for speeding. He was found with a loaded gun in the glove compartment.

The pleas mean Schialdone can work in law enforcement again in the future, said Assistant Prosecutor Mike Yacovone, but he added that it likely would be hard for Schialdone to find a law-enforcement job because of the OVI conviction on his record and the fact he admitted he had a gun while he was drunk.

Read more about the case in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.