Man faces charges related to reported mall OD

BOARDMAN — A Youngstown man faces a criminal charge related to a drug overdose he reportedly suffered at the mall.

Township police took custody of Jay Weston, 30, of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Friday on a charge of possessing drug abuse instruments, according to a police report. He was scheduled to appear in Mahoning County Area Court here today for arraignment.

The charge stems from a January 13 incident in which police were called to Southern Park Mall for a report of a man found unresponsive in a restroom stall. Weston reportedly regained consciousness after a security officer repeatedly shouted at him and pounded on the door.

Police reportedly found two used syringes in the stall where Weston had been.

According to the report, police have had numerous interactions with Weston in the past that related to drugs. While he denied suffering an overdose and that the needles belonged to him, he reportedly admitted during the January incident that he was addicted to heroin.