Warren man pleads guilty to 25 crimes over several days in 2025
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WARREN -- Joshua Evans, 25, of Westwood Drive NW in Warren pleaded guilty Thursday to 25 criminal offenses in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court and could get a long prison sentence for a series of thefts that mostly occurred Aug. 2 and 3, 2025, in Trumbull County. He will be sentenced Dec. 3.
Evans was indicted on 30 separate crimes -- most of them low-level felonies, some of them misdemeanors. His plea hearing took a long time because of all of the charges that had to be discussed. Evans could get about 20 years in prison.
Close to the end of the hearing, Judge Ronald Rice stated that Evans had pleaded guilty to three counts of grand theft of a motor vehicle, six counts of breaking and entering, one count of theft, two counts of vandalism, six counts of possessing criminal tools, two counts of grand theft, two counts of attempted grand theft of a motor vehicle, one count of failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and two misdemeanor counts of attempted breaking and entering.
Assistant Trumbull County Prosecutor Chris Becker said Evans’ crimes began with a break-in at BRT Extrusions in Niles, stealing a vehicle, then breaking into a phone store in Howland, smashing a window and stealing phones, which was caught on video.
He also tried to break into a CompuServe location, which was captured on video, then broke into a Cricket Wireless store in Warren, using a sledge hammer and took phones.
Two days earlier on July 31, 2025, he went to the Rural King store in Warren and test drove an ATV. "When the salesman went to write up the paperwork, he took off with the ATV," which also was caught on video, Becker said. That resulted in one of the grand-theft-of-a motor-vehicle convictions.
Evans also broke into National Auto Repair on Aug. 2, 2025, stole a car and also stole key fobs for vehicles there.
On Aug. 3, he broke into the Eastwood Mall in Niles with a sledge hammer and was seen on video "running into the mall and attempting to break into one of the jewelry stores in the center court," Becker said.
Evans also broke into Direct Jewelry Outlet in Niles-Cortland Road near Youngstown Road early Aug. 3, smashing display cases and taking about $40,000 worth of jewelry,” Becker said. At that store and at the Eastwood Mall, Evans left blood behind after cutting himself, Becker said.
DNA testing later determined the blood left behind matched Evans. There was also surveillance video at the store and mall.
Evans also broke into a WesBanco branch with a sledge hammer Aug. 3. Nothing was taken. It was captured on video.
Evans also tried to break into Larry's Super Pawn with a sledge hammer, which also was on video. And after being identified driving a stolen vehicle, Evans "led police on a high speed chase, avoiding traffic control devices,” Becker said. Eventually Evans crashed the car at Shannon Road and Tibbetts-Wick Road" in Liberty Township.
Inside the car was a sledge hammer, the missing key fobs from the break-in at National Automobile Repair, and Evans was driving the car stolen from National Auto Repair, Becker said.
When Rice asked Evans if he had any previous felony convictions, Evans said no.
CHAINSAW CASE
In another case Thursday, Dustin B. Reaves, 44, of Oakwood Avenue in Youngstown was sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison after being found guilty at trial of failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, obstructing official business and misdemeanor counts of inducing panic and harassing a police dog. He also got a lifetime driver's license suspension.
The charges arose from a July 26 incident in the parking lot of a shopping center on Belmont Avenue in Liberty. Officers were called to the parking lot for a traffic complaint. The dispatch center was told that a man in an orange Jeep was driving recklessly on Belmont Avenue and then turned into the plaza parking lot, according to a police report.
Other callers to 911 said the man was "waving a chainsaw around." When a Liberty Township officer arrived, he found an orange Jeep Wrangler in a gravel parking lot north of the Popeye's restaurant. The man was trying to start a chainsaw, the report states. The area was busy with customers, the report noted. It was at about 3 p.m. on a Sunday.
The man, Reaves, entered the Jeep, rolled up the windows and turned up the volume on the radio and ignored commands from the officer, the Liberty Township police report states.
Another officer arrived, and Reaves yelled vulgarities at officers and continued to ignore commands. He said it was his deceased father's birthday and said officers were "just going to have to shoot him," the report states. Reaves then drove the Jeep south on Belmont Avenue. Officers followed the vehicle with lights and siren.
Reaves pulled into a business parking lot, continuing to ignore officer commands. Reaves then drove south again on Belmont Avenue, stopping at the intersection of Belmont and Trumbull Avenue. An officer exited his cruiser and ordered Reaves to turn off his car, but Reaves refused and headed south again.
Other officers joined the original Liberty officers, and the incident moved into downtown Youngstown. Officers tried to deploy spike strips, which were not successful in stopping the vehicle. The Youngstown Police Department again deployed spike strips in another area nearby, but Reaves evaded them, the report states.
The pursuit continued toward Delason Avenue on Market Street in Youngstown at slow speeds. He stopped at St. Louis and Oak Hill avenues on the South Side and exited the Jeep while yelling at officers, the Liberty report states. Liberty officers their dog and a stun gun, and Reaves fell to the ground and was handcuffed.
As Reaves was taken to a cruiser, he put his head into the window of a cruiser and barked at the police dog. Reaves refused medical attention and was taken to the Trumbull County jail.
Multiple chainsaws and chainsaw parts were found in the Jeep, as well as tree cutting tools.
Neighbors in the area where the arrest was made said Reaves was homeless and lives in a "fort" on the property.
Before Rice sentenced Reaves, his attorney, Carlo Ciccone, asked for Reaves to get probation.
Reaves told Rice that he has had "a lot of problems with the Liberty police. I'm not going to deny that." He said he hoped he would not have a felony record because he has guns that belonged to his father, some collector's items.
Before announcing Reaves' sentence, Rice said Reaves has multiple criminal convictions. And Rice said that during Reaves' trial Reaves gave a "ludicrous excuse for why you fled, and the jury found you guilty."