Latest news with #TrumbullCountyCourtofCommonPleas
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Bond revoked for mayoral candidate in domestic case
WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) – Bond was revoked for a man who had announced that he was running for Youngstown mayor and was then caught up in a domestic violence case. John White's bond was revoked in a hearing Tuesday in the Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas. Prosecutors asked for immediate revocation of White's bond because 'the defendant continuously violated the terms and conditions of his bond as well as the temporary protection order in this case,' wrote Trumbull County Assistant Prosecutor Gabe Wildman in a bond revocation motion. White was initially arrested on felony domestic violence and disrupting public services charges on May 2 in connection with an altercation with a woman. He posted bond and was released. Three days later, he appeared in Girard Municipal Court, where a no-contact order was issued as a condition of his bond. Immediately after that court proceeding, prosecutors say that White began calling the victim repeatedly; accessed her phone account and deactivated her service; hacked into the victim's various accounts, locking her out and changing passwords; and accessed the victim's Facebook account without her permission, in violation of the terms of the bond. A warrant was issued for White on May 7 on a charge of violating a protection order. White turned himself in on May 14, and bond was continued with additional restraints; however, prosecutors say that White again tried to gain information about the victim from another person, stating that he would 'burn the whole city to the ground before he let somebody take [the victim] away from him.' Wildman wrote in his motion that White indicated that he had been chasing the victim for 15 years and would never stop. On May 25, the victim began receiving text messages from an unknown number, but the sender was using language and aliases known to White and the victim, saying that he wanted to 'build back better,' his life with the victim, Wildman wrote. White will remain in jail until at least June 13, according to prosecutors, when there will be a formal bond hearing in Judge Sarah Kovoor's court. Nadine Grimley contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Bond set for 2 defendants facing charges in human trafficking case
WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) – Two defendants accused of operating a human trafficking ring out of local massage parlors appeared in the Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas on Thursday for their arraignments. Suk Hui Starr, 64, of Fort Worth, Texas, pleaded not guilty to one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, 12 counts of money laundering and two counts of promoting prostitution. Starr's case is being assigned to another judge because Common Pleas Court Judge Ronald Rice has a conflict with Starr's attorney, according to a news release from the Trumbull County Prosecutor's Office. Bond was set at $50,000 and Starr had to surrender her passport. She told the court that she is an American citizen. Tae Suk Hwang, aka 'Jeannie,' 62, of Saginaw, Michigan, pleaded not guilty to one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, one count of trafficking in persons – commercial sex acts, 58 counts of money laundering and 14 counts of promoting prostitution. Hwang told the judge that she has lived in America for 42 years but is not a citizen, according to the news release. She surrendered her passport and the judge told her that ICE agents would be notified about her involvement in the criminal case. Bond was set at $50,000 with a pretrial set for June 5. Starr and Hwang are among eight people accused of running a human trafficking ring out of the Tiger Spa and Sunny Spa, both on West Market Street in Warren. The Tiger Spa is no longer in business. The charges – all felonies – stem from an ongoing investigation by the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force. In March 2023, the task force and partnering agencies executed search warrants at the businesses as part of 'Operation Saving Daylight.' The other defendants — Dong Meliodon, Chang Mi Hwang, Young Hee Yoon, Kum Cha Shugars — were previously arraigned and are also set for pretrials on June 5. Miock Dong Schaffer and Young Sug Kim have yet to make court appearances. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Auditor fights ruling to pay Bazetta Township in cybercrime case
WARREN, Ohio, (WKBN) — Trumbull County Auditor Martha Yoder is appealing a county judge's decision that her office pay Bazetta Township over $80,000 it lost when the township's tax fund was mistakenly deposited into a fraudulent bank account. Yoder filed an appeal late last week in the 11th District Court of Appeals, taking issue with Judge Sarah Thomas Kovoor's decision. A notice of appeal was filed, but briefs stating Yoder's claim have not been filed yet on the public docket. Bazetta Township trustees were quick to respond to the appeal and posted the following message on the township's Facebook page: We regret to inform our hard-working, tax-paying residents of Bazetta Township the Trumbull County Auditor, Martha Yoder has filed an Appeal to the 11th District Court of Appeals from the law suit we filed and were awarded by the Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas. To date, we have been forced to spend $11,191.00 to recover your tax dollars she (Yoder) is statutorily required to deposit to Bazetta Township. Unfortunately, this process could drag out from six months to a year and will cost the taxpayers of our township and county even more money in legal fees. Bazetta Township The ruling follows a cyberattack in August 2024, when hackers infiltrated the township's fiscal officer's email and posed as officials to redirect where the township's tax revenue should be sent. The auditor's office failed to verify the request and sent the money to a fraudulent account at Green Dot Bank. Yoder previously stated that the township's fiscal officer admitted to asking for the multifactor authentication (MFA) to be turned off for the email account. MFA is an electronic authenticationsecurity method that allows access to an application only after a user successfully presents two or more pieces of evidence to authenticate identity. The amount ordered to be repaid was $80,857.19. Nadine Grimley and Lindsey Watson contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Yahoo
Woman enters plea in chase, crash case
WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) – A woman who was driving a vehicle that crashed into a house after a reported chase entered a plea in Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas on Wednesday. Read next: Board pulls local massage therapist's license following complaint Zoey Hallam, of Bristolville, pleaded guilty to failure to comply with the order of a police officer, a third-degree felony. A presentencing investigation is underway, and sentencing will be set at a later date. Police said Hallam was driving a Chevrolet Suburban that crashed into a house on Pangborn Road in Leavittsburg in August. Hallam was found hiding in the brush and taken into custody, according to a police report. The report states that officers first spotted Hallam sitting in a vehicle at a gas station on Parkman Road and Summit Street. Officers were called there to investigate a report of a woman who was sleeping in a vehicle at one of the pumps. An officer tried to speak with Hallam but said she drove away at a high rate of speed. Officers caught up with her as the vehicle turned into the Avon Oaks apartment complex on Southern Boulevard, the report stated. According to the report, an officer got out of the cruiser and attempted to stop Hallam, who had pulled into a parking spot, but the report stated that Hallam drove toward the officer, causing the officer to jump back into the cruiser to avoid being hit. Hallam then drove away before later crashing into the house in Leavittsburg, according to the report. Hallam had also been charged with felonious assault, but a Trumbull County grand jury chose not to indict her on that charge, according to court records. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Yahoo
Brookfield man facing charges in child sex abuse material case
BROOKFIELD, Ohio (WKBN) – A Brookfield man is facing charges following a tip from the Internet Crimes Against Children task force. Read next: Great Dane found severely malnourished in Sharpsville; owner facing charges A secret indictment was filed Tuesday in Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas against Nathaniel Thompson, 20. Thompson faces four charges of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor. He was booked into the Trumbull County Jail on Tuesday. According to Brookfield police, the investigation began in September 2024 following the tip from the task force, and a search warrant was served on December 9, 2024. An indictment in the case says from June 2023 to December 2023, Thompson had material showing girls ages 4 to 8 being raped by adult men. Chelsea Simeon contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
