Defendant fails to follow judge's orders, now behind bars for 3 years

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

In April, Judge Maureen A. Sweeney gave Joseph Zaku a chance to prove he’s turned his life around, but his failure to do so landed him in prison for three years.

Zaku, 20, of Argyle Avenue, pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary related to a March 2017 incident in which he reportedly pulled a gun on an autistic male and made him remove everything from his pockets.

Judge Sweeney sentenced him to five years’ probation with six months of weekends spent in the Mahoning County jail, so he could keep his job.

Zaku failed to report to the jail on three consecutive weekends, and tested positive for marijuana on Aug. 16.

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