Baby is safe; dad’s in jail

Baby is safe; dad’s in jail

WARREN

Two-month-old Jasper Stennett, abducted from his home on Hazelwood Avenue Southeast about 1:20 p.m. Thursday, was turned over to Warren City police later that day by the child’s grandmother and was described as safe and well.

A short time later, about 8:15 p.m., police had the child’s father, James Stennett, 20, a suspect in the abduction, in custody.

According to the Trumbull County 911 Center, police located Stennett, made contact with him and arrested him without incident. He was in Trumbull County jail at press time.

Officers said Trumbull County Children’s Services would be notified of the case.

The Trumbull County 911 Center issued the Amber Alert about 1:20 p.m. and canceled it about 7:20 p.m.

Court to get tech grant

WARREN

Ohio Supreme Court Justice Judi French will deliver a technology grant to Trumbull County Common Pleas Court at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. French, who is from Sebring, will present the grant to Judge Ronald Rice.

The $3,456 grant will enable individuals wishing to serve as their own lawyer obtain self-help from computer and printer stations and electronically file documents with the court.

Trumbull’s grant is among 47 costing $2.9 million from the Ohio Supreme Court. This is the fifth year of funding aimed at helping courts better carry out their primary mission — the fair administration of justice, the supreme court said in a news release.

Trumbull Transit funds

WARREN

The Ohio Attorney General’s Office has delivered a legal opinion this week that supports the Trumbull County commissioners’ continued use of senior-citizen levy funds to help run Trumbull Transit, the county’s public-transportation service.

The opinion says senior citizen levy funds can be used to pay a service provider, in this case Community Busing Services, to provide transportation services as long as the money goes only for transportation for senior citizens.

It also says the levy money can be pledged in an application as “matching funds” to acquire federal grants, but the applicant must be certain the pledged amount could be identified as serving senior citizens.

The opinion was discussed at Thursday’s Trumbull Transit meeting at the county’s educational service center.

Ryan goes back to Iowa

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, headed back to Iowa on Thursday for a three-day visit to the state with the first presidential caucus.

Ryan hosted a meet-and-greet in Davenport on Thursday. Today, he’ll have similar events in Muscatine, Burlington, Fort Madison, Keokuk and Mount Pleasant.

He will meet with Iowans on Saturday in Fairfield and West Des Moines. Ryan, who announced his presidential bid April 4, was in Iowa April 7 and 8.

Harassment-case ruling

YOUNGSTOWN

U.S. District Court Judge Benita Pearson this week ruled against a Hubbard couple who alleged people were driving past their house and honking car horns for 11 years.

The couple had claimed Trumbull County, Hubbard City officials, the police Chief James Taafe and the Eagle Joint Fire District did nothing to stop the harassment. All but the fire department had been dropped as defendants last year.

The lawsuit was filed in 2017 and sought more than $75,000 in damages, claiming the couple’s rights to equal protection had been violated. The judge ruled the couple made no viable claims.

The couple alleged the “campaign” to harass and intimidate them started over a dispute with a neighbor.

Walmart reports thefts

BOARDMAN

Walmart on Doral Drive reported three thefts Wednesday that occurred over the weekend, according to police reports.

The loss-prevention employee saw surveillance footage of a suspect concealing shotgun ammunition and walking out of the store Saturday morning.

The employee also told police she observed two suspects attempt to steal $564 worth of merchandise Sunday night. She was able to detain one of the suspects. Due to the storm, police were not able to respond.

In a third incident Sunday night, a suspect attempted to steal two jump-start packs. The employee was able to recover one, but the suspect refused to cooperate and left.

Coffee and Conversation

YOUNGSTOWN

Councilwoman Anita Davis, D-6th, invites the public to share what is going on in the neighborhood during a Coffee and Conversation from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at Flambeau Dinner Club, 2308 Market St.

Guests will include Charles Shasho, the city’s deputy director of public works, and Atty. Kim Akins. Davis will provide complimentary coffee.

Health Week events

NEWTON FALLS

Healthy Treasures Health Food Store and Caf , 40 W. Broad St., will designate next week as Health Week. There will be more than 20 interactive events and educational workshops to promote earth-friendly living and wellness. Each day will feature four speakers or demonstrations for the public.

Some of the highlights include: a free gentle yoga session, bee-keeping, sustainable gardening, reflexology demonstration and laughter yoga. For a full schedule of events, go to Healthy Treasures Facebook page at facebook.com/healthy.treasures.and.more/. Call Healthy Treasures for information at 330-872-1119 or email healthytreasures40@yahoo.com.

Immersive Training Act

WASHINGTON

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan introduced the Law Enforcement Immersive Training Act of 2019 that would require the U.S. Department of Justice to create an immersive, real-life, scenario-based training curriculum to address key issues raised by law-enforcement officers and the communities they serve.

These include improving community-police relations, officer safety and resilience, situational awareness, physical and emotional responses to stress, critical decision-making and problem-solving, de-escalation and use of force and crisis intervention, said Ryan of Howland, D-13th. The bill also would create a grant program to support public and private entities that train law-enforcement officers using a similar immersive curriculum, he said.

Earth Day activities

WARREN

The Geauga Trumbull Solid Waste Management District, along with Trumbull County and Warren officials, will participate in Earth Day activities Monday that will also serve as kickoff of Great American Cleanup.

A cleanup of Courthouse Square will begin at 10:30 a.m. with the staff of the solid-waste district cleaning and sprucing up the log cabin area. Residents can join by calling 330-675-2673.

“Our local spring Great American Cleanup has been held for 28 years and has involved thousands of volunteers yearly,” said Holly Carine, Geauga Trumbull community outreach coordinator. “We look forward to seeing municipalities, schools, civic and social organizations, government officials and neighborhoods come forward each year to beautify and clean parks, school grounds, community streets and vacant lots.”

The Great American Cleanup runs through May. Twenty-five groups have registered at Geauga Trumbull or online so far. The website is www.gottagogreen.org.

Man on house arrest in shooting-death case

WARREN

Ryan M. Daniels Sr., 28, of Bonnie Brae Avenue Southwest, is free on bond but under house arrest after his arraignment last week on charges in the death of Britney A. Mazanec, 33, of Niles.

She died after being shot while driving away from the Hideaway Lounge on Youngstown Road in Niles early Feb. 24.

Judge Ronald Rice of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court ordered that Daniels’ bond be reduced from $1 million to $100,000. At the hearing, Daniels pleaded not guilty to reckless homicide, involuntary manslaughter and illegal possession of a firearm in liquor permit premises.

Daniels posted bond and was released from the county jail last Friday.

Howland road closure

HOWLAND

Dietz Road’s westbound lane at the corner of Larchmont Avenue will be open through Sunday and closed Monday and Tuesday during working hours.

The recommended detour route is west on Bronze Road, north on Griswold Street.

Brookfield trustees plan to meet today

BROOKFIELD

The township trustees will have a special meeting to hire a seasonal cemetery employee and approve purchase of a bay door for Fire Station 18 at 9:45 a.m. today at the fire department, 774 state Route 7. The meeting will be followed by a short ceremony awarding the traffic-safety grant to the fire department.

Sentenced for fraud

COLUMBUS

A Boardman woman was sentenced to six months in prison Thursday in Franklin County Common Pleas Court after being convicted by a jury in February of Medicaid fraud and theft.

Attorney General Dave Yost said Carla Clark, 54, must also serve three years of probation. Clark was the operations manager of Caregivers Home Health when a review of the company’s 2015 Medicaid billings found $40,513 in services not provided to a patient.

The same patient also was billed for $22,667 for services provided by an unlicensed nurse. That nurse, Carla Edmonds, 47, received a suspended jail sentence of six months after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of theft.

The company’s providers agreement was suspended after Clark was indicted in November 2017.

Free shred day set

YOUNGSTOWN

St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, 1044 Belmont Ave., will host a shred day from 8 to 10 a.m. Monday to allow local residents to shred personal documents for free. All materials will be transported in locked containers to Allshred Services’ facility where it will be shredded. Only paper items will be accepted.