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Woman gets two years in prison for sexual battery, gross sexual imposition

WARREN — Alecehia Harris, 34, was sentenced to two years in prison this week in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court after she pleaded guilty earlier to four counts of gross sexual imposition and three counts of sexual battery, all fourth-degree felonies. The victim gave a victim impact to Judge Sean O’Brien prior to sentencing, as did her mother. The crimes took place in March 2025 when the victim was 17. Harris is now a Tier 3 sex offender, requiring her to register her address four times per year for the rest of her life. Harris could have received up to 18 months in prison on ...

On the Farm: Raising livestock can be family affair

It’s that time of year when you get to hear me talk about the county fair. County fairs have always been some of my favorite events of the year, but I’ll admit my relationship with them has changed. Now that my job has me covering four counties and spending months preparing for fair season, sometimes I struggle to find the same joy in them that I once did. Fair has become schedules, volunteers, displays, emails, phone calls, early mornings, late nights and approximately 4,000 things happening at once. But no matter how much of the fair becomes work, there is one thing I will ...

Merkel asks civil service commission to reinstate him

WARREN — Former Warren Police Chief Eric Merkel hand delivered a letter Tuesday to the Warren Civil Service Commission asking that the commission restore him to his position as chief and “investigate whether city officials procured and enforced (his) resignation through threats, coercion, ...

Parole denied for 1982 Niles police killer

NILES — A man serving a 30-years-to-life sentence for a 1982 shooting of a Niles police officer will have to wait another six years for a shot at parole. According to a news release from the Trumbull County Prosecutor’s Office, a coordinator of the county’s victim witness division learned from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction this week that Fred Joseph Jr., 60, has been denied parole after a late July hearing. Joseph, who is incarcerated at Toledo Correctional Institution, will have his next parole hearing in May 2032. Niles Police Officer John Utlak, ...

Youngstown man arrested at Harding football game

WARREN — A Youngstown man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to criminal trespass and disorderly conduct, both low-level misdemeanors, following a run-in with a Warren police officer who would not allow him to re-enter Mollenkopf Stadium on Friday night in the second half of the Harding-Youngstown football game. Ronald Davis, 61, returns for a second hearing in Warren Municipal Court at 10:15 a.m. Sept. 29. Judge Patricia Knepp set a personal recognizance bond for Davis. A Warren police report states that a Warren officer was working the football game about 9:30 p.m. Friday on the ...

Niles gets Zoom update following meeting mishap

NILES — An August regular city council meeting’s Zoom video faced some complications, but the city’s tech expert says the program is now secure. During a caucus ahead of Wednesday’s regular meeting, city officials heard from Christopher Hubinsky, city council’s IT specialist, who said he reviewed the platform’s settings after the video portion was forced to be cut short when its display showed what appeared to be a nude image of a man. Officials went to the meeting room’s back rooms to speak with Hubinsky, who was trying to prevent the imagery from popping up, but it ...