Attorneys seek probation after woman enters guilty plea in fight case

YOUNGSTOWN — Attorneys are recommending probation for a woman who today pleaded guilty to weapon and drug charges in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court after she was arrested at a fight in July on the South Side.

Taniqua Smith, 27, pleaded guilty to charges of possession of drugs, carrying a concealed weapon, tampering with evidence and improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle. She entered her pleas before Judge Lou D’Apolito, who was sitting in for his son, Judge Anthony D’Apolito, who will sentence Smith at a later date.

Smith was arrested July 24 after police were called for a woman who fled a fight on Hilton Avenue and they found her on nearby East Philadelphia Avenue.

Inside her car was a handgun and a total of 310 painkillers.

Smith has been in the jail since her arrest and has a minimal criminal record. As part of her probation she must report to the Community Corrections Association.