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Man indicted on felony charges of burglary, gross sexual imposition

WARREN — A man with a history of violence who already has served time in prison was indicted last week by a Trumbull County grand jury on felony charges of burglary and gross sexual imposition.

John L. Armstrong, 50, whose address is listed as the Cuyahoga County Jail, is scheduled for arraignment Wednesday in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.

Armstrong is in jail in Cleveland after being arrested Aug. 25 in Dayton in connection to the execution-style murder of Juvar King, 46, of Warren, whose body was found March 17 in East Cleveland after King was reported missing Feb. 4 by family members.

After the U.S. Marshals Service Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team and Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force tracked him to a Dayton apartment, Armstrong is accused of firing a shot toward officers, leading to a lengthy standoff, police reports state.

He was charged with aggravated murder by East Cleveland police. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that King died of a gunshot wound to the head. King’s burned out vehicle was found a few days before his body was found.

In May, a separate warrant for Armstrong was issued on a charge of juvenile rape by the Summit County Sheriff’s Office. A July 7 social media post by the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force stated Armstrong was wanted on a warrant for rape and unlawful sexual conduct with a 14-year-old girl. He was served with the Summit County and East Cleveland warrants Aug. 26.

According to court records, Armstrong was tried as an adult for a murder he committed as a teenager in the early 1990s, for which he was sentenced to 25 years in prison. However, he pleaded guilty and was convicted in 2005 of kidnapping and aggravated robbery with firearm specifications and a repeat violent offender specification for trying, but failing, to rob a drug house in Warren in 2003.

Instead, Armstrong and his accomplice forced a man who came to buy marijuana into a car at gunpoint and drove him to an ATM, where Armstrong demanded the man withdraw $30,000, according to past reports of the crime. When he was unable to withdraw that amount, the victim was forced to use a payphone to call his wife for a ransom.

A witness flagged down police and the department’s police dog tracked down Armstrong, who was subdued by the K9 team after he tried to flee. He was sentenced in April 2005 to seven years at the Lorain Correctional Institution, court records show.

Others indicted Thursday who will have their cases heard in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court over the next several weeks include:

• Mark A. Mansfield, 42, North Main Street, Niles, receiving stolen property.

• Khadija S. Abdul-Aziz, 37, Raymond Street NW, Warren, vandalism.

• Jonathan W. Anderson, 32, South Irvine Avenue, Sharon, Pa., possession of cocaine.

• Keegan P. Howard, 18, Bane Avenue, Newton Falls, receiving stolen property and improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle.

• Branden A. Black, 41, Arlington Avenue NW, Warren, unauthorized use of a vehicle.

• Jennifer M. Halstead, 42, McMyler Street NW, Warren, possession of cocaine.

• Donald Dempsey, 19, Euclid, carrying a concealed weapon and improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle.

• Michael J. Gates, 61, Wickliffe, possession of heroin and possession of cocaine.

• Kayla Lipscomb, 35, Girard, escape, tampering with evidence, possession of cocaine and possession of fentanyl-related compound.

• Kasey V. Hartman, 34, Scott Street, Warren, aggravated possession of drugs.

• Lynsey M. Kuhlman, 20, Beaver, Pa., forgery and possession of cocaine.

• Xavior A. Clutter, 24, Norwood Street NW, Warren, failure to comply with order / signal of a police officer.

• Renee L. Scraggs, 31, Porter Street NE, Warren, possession of fentanyl-related compound and counterfeiting.

• Jeffrey Howe, 65, Warren Ravenna Road, Newton Falls, passing bad checks.

• Patrick L. Custer, 27, Arms Boulevard, Niles, felony domestic violence.

• Ny’Cere Morgan, 20, Stephens Avenue NW, Warren, assault and two counts aggravated menacing.

• Matthew L. Fenstermaker, 37, Greenville Road, Cortland, possession of fentanyl-related compound.

• Kasey N. Morgan, 20, Paisley Street, Youngstown, failure to comply with order / signal of a police officer.

• Joseph M. Celedonia, 52, Weir Road NE, Warren, possession of cocaine.

• Tara L. Vlasic, 36, Adams Avenue NW, Warren, possession of fentanyl-related compound and possession of cocaine.

• Daniel E. Gore, 36, Newton Falls Bailey Road, Warren, domestic violence.

• Alicia J. Beckwith, 34, state Route 88, Bristolville, possession of cocaine and possession of fentanyl-related compound.

• Kyle Lyons, 24, Perkinswood Boulevard SE, Warren, pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor.

• Nicholas Ziegler, 37, Fairlawn Avenue, Niles, two counts trafficking in cocaine, possession of cocaine with a specification of forfeiture and possession of cocaine.

• Cherry L. Langham, 45, Lafayette Avenue, Niles, two counts aggravated possession of drugs.

• Ryan R. Repko, 38, Youngstown Kingsville Road, Cortland, possession of cocaine.

• Adam P. Zienkiewicz, 36, Warren Meadville Road, Cortland, possession of fentanyl-related compound.

• Nirell Frank, 23, Prospect Avenue NW, Warren, endangering children.

The following misdemeanor cases were remanded to a lower court:

• William E. Greene IV, 25, Garden Street NW, Warren, domestic violence.

• Dawn L. Rogers, 52, Bonnie Brae Avenue NE, Warren, criminal trespass and criminal damaging / endangering.

• Erin Sullivan, 52, Bonnie Brae Avenue NE, Warren, criminal trespass and criminal damaging / endangering.

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