Kent man gets jail time, probation on gun charge

YOUNGSTOWN — A judge today sentenced a 24-year-old Kent man to three years probation with the first six months to be served in the Mahoning County jail on charges that he had a gun downtown in October.

Judge R. Scott Krichbaum of common pleas court handed down the sentence to Juran Hill, who pleaded guilty in February to charges of attempted carrying concealed weapons and improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle. He also has pending warrants from Campbell Municipal Court and Mahoning County Area Court in Austintown.

Hill was arrested Oct. 20 after police were called about 2:30 a.m. downtown for a report of shots fired.

Reports said witnesses told police a man matching Hill’s description fired a gun into the air, then he went in a car and crouched down like he was hiding something. The car's owner gave police permission to search it and underneath the passenger’s seat they found a loaded .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol. On the way to the jail, police found a live .380 round in Hill’s sock and another in the cruiser where he was sitting.

Judge Krichbaum said he thought Hill deserved to serve some jail time because he had a loaded weapon downtown and it was probably fired, although Hill’s attorney said no one could say his client had actually fired a gun.