Human trafficking trial delayed to collect Facebook posts

YOUNGSTOWN

Trial for four people accused of human trafficking will be delayed until at least next month so attorneys can obtain several thousand Facebook posts.

The four had a pretrial hearing Tuesday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Çourt before Judge Lou D’Apolito. But after attorneys in the case conferred, it was decided to have a pretrial hearing next month to give them time to collect about 12,000 Facebook posts related to the case.

The outgoing judge set a Jan. 14 hearing for the case, which will be heard by his replacement, Judge Anthony Donofrio.

Judge D’Apolito said he understands there is a good chance that all the posts will not be obtained by then but he said the attorneys will be expected to be making progress in obtaining them by the next pretrial date.

Charged are Ronald Hellman, 51, who faces 22 counts of prostitution, trafficking and sexual-assault charges; Lori Jackson, 43, of Warren, who faces compelling prostitution charges involving a relative; Elaine Hellman, 71, Ronald Hellman’s mother, who faces a count of obstructing justice for using her position as a call taker in the Youngstown 911 center to warn her son of the investigation; and James Jaster, 73, on compelling prostitution charges.

A fifth person who was indicted killed himself in the back yard of his Austintown home before he could be taken into custody.

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