Dad pleads not guilty to kidnapping son
YOUNGSTOWN - A man accused of kidnapping his 3-year-old son last month was being held at the Mahoning County Jail in lieu of a $250,000 bond Tuesday after pleading not guilty.
Robert Partridge, 36, was arraigned on first-degree felony kidnapping and third-degree felony abduction charges in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court. His pretrial hearing is scheduled for Dec. 11.
Partridge turned himself in Sunday just days after a Mahoning County grand jury issued indictments against him.
Authorities said Partridge, who has a Cottage Pines address in Warren, an address in Austintown and one in Canton, was supposed to give his son to the boy's mother in November after his allotted visitation, but instead disappeared with the child.
Shootout at store involved four people
YOUNGSTOWN - City police are investigating a shootout that took place Tuesday at the Landsdowne Red & White supermarket at 1721 Landsdowne Blvd.
Tribune Chronicle newspartner WYTV 33 News reported that police were viewing the store's surveillance footage.
According to reports, two men drove up to the store, approached two other men who were placing an order inside the building, and started shooting. The two other men returned fire before the four fled. A glass door to the building was shattered by gunfire.
One witness told police the shooting may have been related to a man who has been missing since Friday.
Hartford fire district levy officially passes
WARREN - The recount of the Hartford Township Fire Levy on Tuesday confirmed that it passed by exactly the same number of votes as on Election Day - five.
The issue passed by 564 votes for the levy to 559 against it. Because the difference in the vote was less than one half of 1 percent, the tally triggered an automatic recount.
Passage of the levy allows continuance of a partnership with Brookfield in a joint fire district. The deal was contingent on Hartford seeking a levy in the second year of the agreement. The levy lets the township pay Brookfield $25,000 a year for service while keeping a bay at the Hartford station.
Group hosts square decoration contest
WARREN - Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership is sponsoring a Christmas holiday storefront decoration contest for businesses on Courthouse Square.
"The idea is to make the square festive and inviting,'' Christina Anderson of Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership said.
''When you go to larger communities, the downtown areas are lit up and bright," she said. "We want to bring that kind of spirit here."
The judging of the store fronts will take place on Dec. 14. Winners will receive prizes of coffee and doughnuts.
For information, call Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership at 330-233-5839.
Tribune Chronicle