Water worker arrested, on leave

Despite a suspended license, the defendant continued to drive city vehicles, an official said.

STAFF REPORT

YOUNGSTOWN — A water department employee is on unpaid leave pending results of a drug test, the mayor said.

James B. Black was taken off his job as a laborer/driver after he was arrested at the Youngstown Water Department on West Avenue for failure to appear in municipal court on traffic charges, Mayor Jay Williams said Tuesday.

Black, 47, of Helena Avenue, is charged with driving under suspension, unsafe vehicles, no seat belt and display of plates/expired plates. The charges were filed last month, and warrants were issued when he failed to appear. He was arraigned last week and is due back in court Sept. 5 for a pretrial hearing.

When Black was taken into custody at the water department July 22, police found in his pants two pipes constructed of aluminum foil that had char marks on both ends and trace residue of a light-brown substance that appeared to be heroin, reports show. Black was not charged with possession of drug paraphernalia nor were the pipes logged as evidence, according to the report.

City Prosecutor Jay Macejko said Tuesday that it was a mystery as to why the material was not at least seized and logged into evidence. He said he spoke to the arresting officer about logging such material in the future so as to avoid situations like this.

Williams said the presence of the pipes was enough suspicion to trigger a drug test for Black. If he tests positive, the union contract calls for rehabilitation, the mayor said.

Black was hired Jan. 28. A listed phone number was not found.

John Casciano, water commissioner, said Tuesday that Black did drive city vehicles “until we found out his license had been suspended.” Casciano declined to comment further.

The mayor said it appears the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles sent notice that Black’s license was suspended to an incorrect address, so whether he was aware that he wasn’t to drive is unknown. The mayor added it would be difficult to understand how someone could not know their license was suspended.