Trial of ex-Smith Township chief gets underway

YOUNGSTOWN — Jury selection is underway today in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court in the theft trial of former Smith Township police Chief John Siranovic.

Siranovic, 48, was indicted in May by a grand jury on charges of theft in office and grand theft.

The charges stem from an investigation by the sheriff’s office that found $10,000 and some gift cards missing from the department’s evidence room. The money came from a 2014 investigation into a gambling parlor.

Siranovic could be sentenced to three years in prison if convicted.