Driver rams fence after I-680 chase, faces charges

Driver rams fence after I-680 chase, faces charges

YOUNGSTOWN

Officers arrested a Youngstown man on the Fourth of July after a chase starting on Interstate 680.

An Ohio State Highway Patrol spokesman said a trooper spotted a pickup truck speeding on the interstate Wednesday morning and tried to pull the driver over.

Instead, the truck drove away, exiting onto Midlothian Boulevard with the trooper in pursuit.

More troopers had joined the chase, which ended after the truck crashed through a fence, drove onto Ipe Field at Midlothian Boulevard and 680, stopped near the fire station when the driver jumped out and ran.

Troopers caught up with the suspect, Andrew McCourt, 31, of Berlin Center.

Troopers said McCourt is facing charges of speeding, fleeing and eluding police, and receiving stolen property due to the truck having been stolen.

Shoplifters confront dollar-store worker

YOUNGSTOWN

An employee of a Youngstown business was the victim of two shoplifting confrontations Tuesday night, according to 21 WFMJ-TV, The Vindicator’s broadcast partner.

Officers were first called about 7 p.m. to the Family Dollar store on the 2200 block of Market Street after the cashier said she tried to stop a man who walked out of the store with items hidden under his shirt, according to police reports.

The cashier was able to get the license plate from the getaway car, which police discovered had been stolen earlier, reports said.

About an hour later, the same cashier called police saying another suspected shoplifter threatened to kill her and struck her in the face with the back of his hand as she tried to stop him from leaving the store without paying for socks, shirts, chargers and headsets, reports said.

The suspect ran away on St. Louis Avenue, leaving his getaway car behind at the store along with some of the stolen items inside.

Mercy Health group awards scholarships

YOUNGSTOWN

Mercy Health Foundation Mahoning Valley awarded $87,250 in scholarships to 47 area nursing students for the 2018-19 academic year.

Scholarships were awarded to Mercy Health employees and members of their immediate families pursuing bachelor and master of science degrees in nursing as well as to those pursuing associate degrees in nursing at Mercy College of Northeast Ohio, St. Elizabeth campus.

This is the 21st year Mercy Health Foundation presented scholarships to nursing students. Since its inception, the program has collectively awarded nearly $1.2 million in scholarships to Mahoning Valley students, Mercy Health employees and their families.

Road in Brookfield to be closed for month

BROOKFIELD

Bedford Road, between state Route 62 and Stewart Sharon Road, will be closed Monday through Aug. 3 for the South Bedford Road Sanitary Sewer Project, the Trumbull County Engineer announced.

The road will be closed to through traffic. Local traffic will be maintained at all times. If traveling southbound on Bedford Road, the recommended detour route is southeast on state Route 82, southwest on state Route 62 and north on Bedford.

If traveling northbound on Bedford, the recommended detour route is southwest on Route 62, west on Chestnut Ridge Road, north on state Route 7, east on Route 82 and south on Bedford.