3 men arraigned on attempted murder

WARREN -- Three men charged with attempted murder were arraigned Tuesday in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.

In one case, a man is accused of intentionally crashing a vehicle with his child's mother and two small children in the car, in another accused of shooting at police and in a third case stabbing his wife.

Samuel A. Sipes, 24, of Evaline Street SE in Warren was indicted Thursday on two counts of attempted aggravated murder, one count of attempted murder, three counts of felonious assault, three counts of aggravated vehicular assault, two counts of felony child endangering and two counts of OVI.

He pleaded not guilty before Judge Ronald Rice, who ordered Sipes to remain in the Trumbull County jail without bond at least until his next hearing Tuesday.

Sipes is accused of purposely trying to cause the death of a woman and two young children and knowingly causing serious physical harm to all three people in the car. He is also accused of causing serious physical harm to all three people as a result of operating a vehicle intoxicated.

The crash took place on Main Street in Niles, but the offenses are listed as having taken place June 26 to June 28, according to Sipes' indictment. It is not known why there are three dates listed, though another media outlet says the crash was June 27 and that all four people in the vehicle were taken to the hospital.

Officials say Sipes was arguing with the woman in the vehicle, resulting in Sipes speeding up and crashing the vehicle. Sipes commented later that his intent was to kill himself and his family.

His blood alcohol level was measured at 0.171, more than twice the legal limit to drive.

If Sipes is convicted of the attempted murder charges, he could get about 30 years in prison.

SHOOTING AT OFFICERS

Also arraigned Tuesday was D'Andre Douglas, 18, of Warren who pleaded not guilty to two counts of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault and single counts of carrying concealed weapons and improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle.

The charges stem from a May 15 incident at a dead-end corner of Charles Avenue SE in Warren in which he is accused of shooting at Warren police officers.

In court Tuesday, Trumbull County Assistant Prosecutor Chris Becker asked for Douglas to be held on $1 million bond, saying the evidence in the case is "great."

Becker said the allegations are that Douglas was a passenger in a vehicle driven by a co-defendant. As they were "running from police, (Douglas), on video, got out of the passenger seat of the vehicle, turned and shot at the officers, who were in a marked cruiser, and wearing uniforms."

Douglas "then fled. He was shot and returned fire and found a short distance away with a firearm," Becker said.

A Warren police captain at the time said no officers were injured. Court records show Douglas' case was bound over to adult court from the court's juvenile division earlier this month. Douglas was 17 at the time of the incident.

Rice ordered Douglas to be held without bond with Douglas' next hearing Sept. 1.

STABBINGS

The other defendant arraigned on attempted murder was David Sabolsky, 64, of Grassy Point in Champion for a June 22 incident at his home in which he is accused of stabbing his wife multiple times.

Sabolsky is indicted on one count of attempted aggravated murder, one count of attempted murder and one count of felonious assault.

The attempted aggravated murder alleges that Sabolsky tried to purposely cause the death of the woman with prior calculation and design.

The attempted murder alleges that Sabolsky attempted to purposely cause the death of the woman. And the felonious assault accuses him of knowingly causing or attempting to cause physical harm to the woman by means of a deadly weapon, that being a knife.

If Sabolsky is convicted of the attempted aggravated murder or the attempted murder, he could get more than 10 years in prison. He could get about eight years in prison if he is convicted of the felonious assault.

Rice ordered that Sabolsky be held in the county jail without bond. Sabolsky returns to court Sept. 1. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, and Rice ordered that he be evaluated to determine whether Sabolsky was sane at the time of the offense.

A Champion police report states that police were notified at 9:14 p.m. June 22 of a stabbing in the 6000 block of Grassy Point. A man reported his mother-in-law had been stabbed by her husband.

When police arrived, officers found Sabolsky in the backyard with superficial wounds to his wrists. The suspect had reportedly tried to cut his wrists after the stabbing.

Sabolsky was arrested by responding officers without further incident. The 48-year-old victim was found in the home with multiple stab wounds. She was taken to St. Joseph Warren Hospital, where she was listed in critical but stable condition.

A court-authorized search warrant was obtained for the home, and the suspected weapon was found and taken as evidence. Police said the suspect was treated for his injuries at the hospital and later taken to the Trumbull County jail.