Facing weapons charges

Facing weapons charges

YOUNGSTOWN

Police charged a Market Street man with weapons offenses after they found a semiautomatic pistol while chasing him on foot about 4:55 p.m. Wednesday on the North Side.

Leslie Howard, 29, is in the Mahoning County jail on charges of carrying a concealed weapon, being a felon in possession of a firearm and obstruction of official business after he was arrested in a wooded area in the 200 block of Broadview Avenue.

Reports said police tried to pull over a car Howard was driving for an improper turn, and he instead led officers on a short chase before drove into the woods and ran out of the car.

As Howard was running, police saw him throw something on the ground, and that turned out to be a 9 mm pistol, reports said. Howard was caught after he fell down.

DVD thieves sought

BOARDMAN

Crimestoppers Youngstown is helping township police try to identify men suspected of stealing a total of 29 DVDs worth more than $900 from a township grocery store.

The Crimestoppers Facebook page has posted surveillance images taken at the Giant Eagle near West Boulevard on Jan. 13, 22 and 25, according to a report from 21 WFMJ-TV, The Vindicator’s broadcast partner.

A store security official told the television station a white male in his 20s went into the store on all three of those dates and left with DVDs concealed inside his jacket.

On Jan. 22, store officials said after the suspect took six DVDs, a second man, also believed to be in his 20s, came into the store and stole seven DVDs.

Both men were seen leaving the scene in a red, Ford sport utility vehicle.

Fatal crash closes I-80

MERCER, PA.

Interstate 80 was closed for nearly two hours Thursday as Pennsylvania State Police responded to a fatal crash. At 8:10 a.m., a minivan drove off the left side of the westbound lane and drove about 500 feet before hitting an embankment. The vehicle rolled several times, and the driver, identified as George Demeo, 83, of Yonkers, N.Y., was ejected. He was transported to UPMC Horizon in Farrell, Pa., where he was pronounced dead. The Mercer County Coroner said there was evidence Demeo may have died of a heart attack before the accident, according to 21 WFMJ-TV, The Vindicator’s broadcast partner.

Basketball game set

YOUNGSTOWN

The Youngstown and Columbus campuses of the Academy of Urban Scholars will play against each other in a 4:30 p.m. basketball game Saturday. The free event will take place at the Arlington Heights Recreation Center, 801 Park Ave. The game will feature student athletes from both schools. There will be free giveaways to attendees.

National Center for Urban Solutions, Marco’s Pizza, the Redzone and city of Youngstown’s Community Initiative to Reduce Violence program and the Youngstown Park and Recreation Department are sponsoring the game.

Leetonia chief resigns

LEETONIA

Leetonia police Chief Harry Lovejoy Jr. resigned Wednesday night after only 11 months in his position.

According to a report by The Vindicator’s broadcast partner 21 WFMJ-TV, Lovejoy turned in a one-sentence letter of resignation and did not attend the village council meeting that night. Lovejoy resigned for personal reasons, said Mayor Kevin Siembida. The mayor offered no further comment on the resignation.

While the village council searches for a new chief, Sgt. Richard Glidden will oversee the department.

3-car wreck on I-680

YOUNGSTOWN

A three-car accident on Interstate 680 north at the Salt Springs Road exit late Thursday afternoon caused traffic to back up for a several minutes but did not result in any injuries.

Officers arrived to help clean up the accident scene and to alleviate any traffic problems.

There were no further details available on how the accident happened at press time Thursday night.