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AUSTINTOWN -- Boardman police arrested a local man, accused of stealing a car from Youngstown. It was just the most recent report involving a vehicle theft in the area over the past week.
Most of those crimes occurred in the township, and one victim even found a drunken man sleeping inside his vehicle.
A survey of Boardman police reports turned up at least eight thefts or break-ins since Nov. 22. Many of those crimes involved Kia or Hyundai vehicles, which have been targeted heavilyover the past year because of a viral video online showing how to exploit those models.
This week marks the first major rash in Boardman since early September, when vehicle-related crimes tapered off after a summer spike, reports indicate.
On Nov. 22, police were called to Homestead Avenue about 5:40 a.m. for a report of a damaged 2013 Kia Soul. The passenger window was broken, steering column damaged and vehicle's interior ransacked.
Just before 8 that morning, police responded to nearby Willow Drive for a damaged 2020 Hyundai Accent. Again, the rear passenger window was smashed and the steering column damaged. The report states that police found fingerprints on the vehicle.
BUSY DAY
Nov. 26 was a busy day for vehicle crimes.
The spree began around 3 a.m. with a report from the 300 block of East Midlothian Boulevard. A resident there reported that her 2020 Kia Sportage was stolen from the carport. She told police her friends told her they saw her vehicle leaving the apartment complex at about 1 a.m., with three males inside. When she went out to check her vehicle at 2:50 a.m., she found broken glass where the car had been. The car was found by Youngstown police about 8:20 a.m. on Detroit Avenue in Youngstown. The windshield had been kicked in, the driver's side mirror and front hubcap were missing and there was damage to the hood, complete with shoe prints.
Just before 4 a.m. Boardman police responded to the 100 block of Southwoods Avenue. The resident there told police he had been awakened by his dog's barking.
He saw a man with "straggly hair" standing near his attached garage, with the main door open, the report states. He confronted the man, who repeatedly identified himself as "Guzzy" before leaving.
A Struthers police dog tracked the man's scent to a home farther down Southwoods Avenue. At almost the same time, a neighbor called to report that he'd found a man sleeping inside his Mercedes SUV, parked in the driveway.
Police awakened the man, and identified him as David C. Guzzy, 31, of Boardman. The report states that the man smelled of alcohol. Guzzy was charged with felony burglary, criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct.
Guzzy pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Mahoning County Boardman Court. Judge Joseph Houser imposed a $2,500, 10% bond and set a pretrial hearing for Dec. 19.
Police received another call around 11:34 a.m. Sunday from the 4200 block of Hillman Way for a stolen 2015 Kia Forte. Upon arrival, police told the victim the car had been located already by Youngstown police, with a broken window and damaged steering column.
Oddly enough, Christopher W. Jones, 40, of East Lucius Avenue in Youngstown, was arrested Tuesday after being found in the drivers seat of a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu, that was reported stolen, at the same apartment complex where the Kia Forte was stolen.
The police report states the vehicle's owner saw the car traveling down Southern Boulevard and followed it to the Hillman Way apartment complex, before passing by and calling police.
Jones is charged with receiving stolen property, a fourth-degree felony.
He made an initial appearance Tuesday before Judge Houser, who imposed a $5,000 cash or surety bond and set a preliminary hearing for Dec. 5.
To continue the spree, police took another report at Boardman Lanes just before noon on Sunday, where a woman had her 2015 Chrysler 200 stolen from the parking lot. She told police she had left it running while she ran back into the bowling alley to retrieve her phone. When she came back out, the car was gone.
Police responded to Chester Drive at 4 a.m. Monday, when a man's 2012 Nissan Rogue had been broken into, with the driver's door popped open. The man told police about $10 in change was missing.
Later that morning, police saw another vehicle, a 2010 GMC Terrain, on Chester Drive sitting with its door open.