YOUNGSTOWN — The first felony jury trial since November will begin today in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

Israel J. Graham, 23, will go on trial today before Judge Maureen Sweeney on aggravated robbery, safecracking and four counts of kidnapping.

He is accused of being one of two men who robbed a store on Oct. 28, 2018, taking two cellphones and more than $2,000 in cash. A warrant for Graham’s arrest was issued one day later.

In the last jury trial at the courthouse, Lamar Armstrong, 34, was tried and convicted in Judge John Durkin’s courtroom of felonious assault with a gun specification.

For Graham, jury selection proceeded the way it did a few times last year after COVID-19 hit: Potential jurors either sat in the jury box with clear, plastic barriers between them or in other seating areas throughout the courtroom. Each potential juror was wearing a clear, plastic face shield.

Jury selection involved an opening statement from Sweeney. She told the jurors what charges Graham faces and asked the 31 potential jurors if they knew about the case (no one indicated they did), whether their job would prevent them from giving their undivided attention to the case (one said yes), and whether they know the defendant or attorneys in the case (one said he knows defense attorney Ed Hartwig).

The judge also asked the potential jurors if there was anything about their personal experiences that would make them “side” with either the prosecutors or defense, such as having a family member who works in law enforcement.

“We have to make sure that everyone is going to look at the evidence and listen to the law provided by the court and decide (the verdict) fairly,” Aaron Meikle, assistant county prosecutor said.

“Everyone here think they can be a fair and impartial juror?” he asked. Everyone indicated they could be.

Meikle wanted all of them to know that crime shows on television suggest that obtaining evidence only takes a short time and that a case can be solved in an hour when that is not how it usually works.