Jefferson County Sheriff
Traffic stopper: A Wintersville woman whose car was hung up on the railroad tracks with a train stopped about 100 feet from it was charged with operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, Sunday. Deputies filed the charge against Amanda Jane Praught-Lawther, 33, 327 Orchard Place, Wintersville.
Spiked: A man was taken into custody after he allegedly led deputies on a high-speed chase that took them from state Route 7 onto U.S. Route 22 before crashing into a large plastic pipe behind the Jefferson County Water and Sewer District garage on state Route 43, Thursday. Deputies said Tyler Lee Lewis, 30, of Niles, was charged with fleeing, resisting and possession of drug paraphernalia after he gave them conflicting information after being stopped for speeding. Deputies said when they pulled him over, Lewis "appeared nervous and irritated" and told them he didn't have his license or registration, claiming he'd argued with his wife and left, but now was going back home. Asked his name he told them the name of the vehicle owner but couldn't provide the man's birth date or Social Security number. When they were unable to confirm the information he'd given, them deputies said they told the man to exit the truck but instead he drove off, alleging he neglected to use turn signals, passed vehicles on the shoulder of the road, ran the red light at state Routes 7 and 213 and at one point almost T-boned a vehicle while running a red light. Troopers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol put spike strips in the roadway, flattening the driver side tires though he kept going, despite sparks flying from the front rim. They said he left the roadway at sewer and water property and drove down the hill through the grass, hitting a culvert at the bottom that "bounced the truck off the ground."
Three's too many: A Mingo Junction woman said her ex and a woman with him "would not leave her house and (were) making threats," Sunday. She told deputies the unknown woman had left before they arrived. They told her the man would have to be evicted since he lives there, so she asked deputies to tell him to stay in a separate room.
Threats: A Mingo Junction woman said neighbors parked a truck with no tags or registration in her lot, Thursday. She said she tried several times to make contact with the neighbors to find out whose truck it was with no success, but someone eventually came out "and started yelling at (her) stating she would regret having them move it and that she would be causing trouble" for her.
Reported: Multiple shots were reported in the 1100 block of Wilson Avenue, Saturday. Residents said the shots came from a densely wooded area, but no further shots were heard or calls about them received.
Bagged: A clerk at a Wintersville gas station told deputies he found a bag of drugs in the parking lot, Sunday. He said he was cleaning the parking lot when he found the bag. Deputies took custody of the bag and warned the man against picking up suspected drugs without a glove on.
Steubenville Police
Laying claim: A city resident needed police help retrieving a bag containing $40 he had left on a barrier while he was taking photos with his family, Sunday. He said when he tried to retrieve it a woman refused to return it. Police said when they pulled up a woman "began yelling and stating that someone was accusing her of committing a crime," but they said they could not understand much of what she was trying to say and "continued to scream profanities and would not allow (police) to speak." An officer walked over to the concrete barrier, grabbed the bag and returned it to the man.
Petty: The owner of a property in the 600 block of Broadway Boulevard called police to the property for a second time complaining that someone had been inside the house and left his front door open and told them he's not sure if it's his ex or someone she sent there to remove items she wanted, Sunday. He admitted her name was on the deed, too, but claims neither of them have lived there for several months and said she's been pestering him because she wanted to gather their child's belongings but he'd told her to wait until he could be there. Police told him as long as her name was on the deed she could come in when she wanted. When they talked with the female she said she'd gone there to gather her Christmas decorations as well as some toys and said she "had no choice but to break the door ... as (he'd) changed the locks and pushed a treadmill against the door in an effort to keep her out." She told police she tries to go to the house when the male isn't there "because she does not wish to have contact with him, knowing that seeing him in person would result in further issues." Police told her she can go in the residence when she wants to and offered to stand by when she does, but she declined, saying she "does not wish to see (him) or have any contact with him." Police told the man police can no longer intervene "as the issue is not a police matter."
Rude awakening: A Georgia resident staying at an Airbnb in the 200 block of Gramercy Place told police someone opened the garage door, Monday. She said she was unable to lock the basement door and was unsure if someone had entered the house. Police checked the property and said they couldn't find any signs of forced entry.
Took off: A Cherry Avenue resident said her adult daughter asked her for the car keys so she could get her cell phone Thursday night and she hadn't seen or heard from her since. She said a family member who lives in Washington, Pa., told her she'd been there hours earlier and said she was going home.
Wild ride: A city resident was booked into the county jail after allegedly leading police on a chase and crashing his car into a garage in the 1300 block of Park Street (rear), Saturday. Police charged Lavocni Brown, 40, 500 Union Ave., Steubenville, with fleeing and eluding and also retaliation after he allegedly threatened police. Municipal Judge John Mascio ordered Brown held without bond because he was on probation in another case. Brown also was cited for driving under suspension.
Laying low: Someone reported a "possibly intoxicated" suspicious person in the 400 block of North Fourth Street, "throwing items and yelling," Friday. Police checked the area and couldn't find the person. Violence: A Kendall Avenue resident reported her husband had hit her in the head area four times, Saturday. She said she was arguing with a man who dropped her husband off after work, and when she and her husband went inside, they also argued. She said at one point she laughed at something he said and he began punching her in the head and jaw. He'd already left the home when officers arrived.
Charged: Shianna D. Holbert, 23, Main Street, Toronto, petit theft, Sunday. Employees at Wal-Mart allege that on four different occasions between Nov. 11-15, Holbert failed to scan 37 items at the self-checkout and left the store without paying for them. The items taken totaled $380, they said.
Reported: A caller reported hearing five shots fired in the 1100 block of Riverview Avenue, Saturday. Police checked the area and found nothing amyss.
Asked to leave: A Rosswell Avenue resident said a man who was intoxicated "woke him up and was attempting to argue with him over a missing item," Saturday. The man who'd had too much to drink said they'd argued and "he just wanted (him) to leave his residence."
It's complicated: A caller complained about a disturbance in the 700 block of Rosswell Avenue, Saturday. They told police they were arguing about "relationship complications" and the male said he was "going to leave the residence for the time being to cool off."
Booked: Kenneth W. Geiger, 43, 1531 Euclid Ave., Steubenville, bench warrant for failure to appear for arraignment, Saturday.
Cited: Marian Schweitzer, 47, 604 Pine Valley Drive, Steubenville, following too closely, after allegedly rear-ending a car stopped in traffic Saturday on the Brady Avenue on ramp. The other driver and a passenger were taken to the hospital for evaluation. Also cited: Dyani Gregory, 38, 1344 Oregon Ave., and Ian T. Cummins, 32, Pittsburgh, both for speeding; Sarabeth Tucker, 36, 134 Laurel Hill Drive, Steubenville, failure to control a motor vehicle after her car struck a porch Saturday in the 900 block of Sherman Avenue.