Sex sting suspects indicted

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

A Mahoning County grand jury has indicted 14 people rounded up as part of an internet sex sting targeting men looking for underage women on the internet.

The men are charged with importuning, attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and possessing criminal tools.

They were arrested last month by members of the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office and the state Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation with the help of several local police departments.

Those indicted on Thursday are:

Ommar Castro Diaz, 34, Cleveland; Dennis Dabney II, 47, Salem; Darrell Davis, 60, East Liverpool; Grant Geib, 24, Canton; David Kent, 24, Valencia, Pa.; Joel Kurz, 30, Boardman; Timothy Leverknight, 53, Salem; William Ragle, 25, Akron; Nicholas Sammartino, 20, Poland; Charles Stumpf, 33, Akron; Steven Sutton, 44, Prospect, Pa.; Andrew Wirth, 30, Ravenna; Ronald Woods III, 23, Austintown; and Thomas Yakemovic III, 30, of Sharon, Pa.

The sting is the third one by the sheriff’s office and other agencies that are part of the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force involves staff from the sheriff’s office; the county prosecutor’s office; the Youngstown, Austintown, Warren, Cortland and New Middletown police departments; the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation; the Ohio Investigative Unit; and the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office.

Also indicted is Robert A. Ward, 24, of Struthers, on two second-degree felony counts of child endangering, believed to be responsible for several broken-bone injuries discovered in his 8-week-old twin boys in May.

Ward is the son of Robert Seman, 48, who jumped from the fourth-floor of the Mahoning County Courthouse rotunda during his April 2017 capital murder trial and later died.

Mahoning Sheriff Jerry Greene said Thursday county children services was alerted to the injuries discovered on the boys – one of whom had two broken femurs, another had a broken collarbone and both had broken ribs – during an unrelated examination May 20 at Akron Children’s Hospital in Boardman. Investigators believe the injuries occurred about a week to 10 days before in Struthers, Greene said.

Ward is in the Mahoning County jail without bond. He’ll head to county Common Pleas Court arraignment Tuesday.

Sheriff’s Maj. Jeff Allen said though county prosecutors charged Ward with child endangering rather than felonious assault, both offenses carry the same felony-level and penalties.

Seman faced the death penalty for the March 31, 2015, deaths of Corrine Gump, 10, and her grandparents, William and Judith Schmidt, which reportedly occurred just hours before he was set for trial for raping Gump.

Ward had reportedly changed his name, according to Greene.

The grand jury Thursday also indicted:

Hector A. Perez Jr., 41, Milton Avenue, attempted murder and felonious assault with a firearm specification.

Clifford A. Atkinson, 43, Mahoning County Justice Center, failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and two counts of receiving stolen property.

Dustin M. Letourneau, 30, Mahoning County Justice Center, two counts of counterfeiting.

James L. Cunningham Jr., 37, Columbiana County Jail, identity fraud.

Dasean Miller, 25, Cornell Avenue, tampering with evidence, being a felon in possession of a firearm, improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, assault, obstructing official business and possession of heroin.

Jerry Warren, 52, East Lucius Avenue, failure to provide change of address.

Shawn Lee Cox, 41, Victor Avenue, domestic violence.

Wiley Lundy Jr., 27, Mahoning County Justice Center, tampering with evidence, two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, two counts of carrying a concealed weapon, two counts of improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle and obstructing official business.

Sterling Henry, 20, East Boston Avenue, improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, obstructing official business and possession of drugs.

Kimberly D. Soccorsi, 40, Main Street, Alliance and James D. Soccorsi, 37, Kingwood, W.Va., grand theft of a motor vehicle and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

Christopher T. Yocum, 26, Mahoning County Justice Center, failure to register.

Marcus G. Peffer, 26, Mahoning County Justice Center and Chloe A. Rath, 21, Kerrybrook Drive, Austintown, aggravated possession of drugs, counterfeiting and illegal use of possession of drug paraphernalia (Rath only).

Cameron J. Howell, 23, Pointview Avenue, improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle.

Robert Andrew Ward, 23, Morrison Street, Struthers, two counts of endangering children.