Staff report

WARREN — A city woman pleaded guilty earlier this week to a felony charge of attempted abduction in a case stemming from Aug. 31.

Christine Mazanec, 37, of Martin Street SW, entered her plea before Trumbull County Common Pleas Court Judge Cynthia Rice. She will undergo a background investigation prior to sentencing.

According to a Warren police report, officers were dispatched to the Third Christian Church about 10:50 a.m. Aug. 31, following reports of a disturbance and possible kidnapping. The report states that witnesses at the church observed a white vehicle with a man forced inside its trunk. The victim escaped by rolling out of the trunk onto the street and sought help at the church.

The report states the victim was walking south on Main Street near First Street when the white vehicle pulled up beside him. A black man with short curly hair and dressed in all black exited the vehicle along with a white woman, the report states.

The victim told police he recognized the woman, later identified as Mazanec. The man punched the victim in the face, demanding to know the location of a stolen gun. The victim stated he knew who stole the gun, but was not responsible for the theft.

The man continued to strike the victim, then forced him into the trunk of the vehicle while Mazanec laughed. The man then drove off, but the victim opened the trunk using an internal release, fell onto the street, and sustained injuries to his head and arm before reaching the church for assistance, the report states.

The victim used Google Maps to direct police to an apartment in the 400 block of Martin Drive in the Highland Homes area.

Officers located a white vehicle with a broken window, which the victim identified as the vehicle involved. Mazanec exited an apartment on Martin Street and claimed ownership of the vehicle. The victim confirmed her involvement in the incident, and she was taken into custody.

The woman told police she was driving south on Main Street with a male passenger she referred to as “J,” whose full name she did not know. She stated she stopped the vehicle because she believed the victim may have stolen from her. Mazanec admitted the male passenger struck the victim and that they discussed whether the victim would fit in the trunk.

She claimed they left the victim at the corner and drove away. The woman was transported to Trumbull County jail and booked on a kidnapping charge.

The victim declined medical treatment from EMTs at the scene, but was later taken into custody on an unrelated warrant from Girard Municipal Court for failure to appear. He also was transported to the county jail. The report notes that the victim mentioned a family member might know the identity of the man, but could not provide further details at the time.

A witness at the church corroborated the victim’s account, stating they saw the victim being forced into the trunk and rolling out onto the road.