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Liberty police catch man posing as cousin

LIBERTY — A Youngstown man pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Monday after being arrested on multiple active warrants and fresh charges by Liberty police Saturday.

David Cobb, 34, was charged with two counts of falsification, drug paraphernalia and one count of obstructing official business, as well as theft, obstructing official business and criminal trespass warrants through the Liberty Police Department.

According to the police report, an officer on patrol around Belmont and Colonial avenues noticed a white GMC SUV heading north on Belmont. When the officer began tailing the vehicle, it made a quick lane change and a left turn into a parking lot.

The officer noted that the two people in the car pretended they were going into the store, which was closed, but continued to observe them. He reported to another officer later that the driver was trying to avoid him.

He eventually attempted to pull them over for a traffic stop in a driveway where the vehicle stopped again. The two men — one of whom was Cobb, the driver — left the vehicle and walked away, ignoring verbal commands to get back in the SUV, the report states.

The front passenger complied, but Cobb continued to walk, slowly making his way back to the driver’s side door when he realized the other guy wasn’t going to run.

The report states that while asking Cobb for his information, he gave the name “Willie Key,” and the officer put him into handcuffs because of him being hesitant about revealing his identity.

The officer later discovered his name was not Willie Key. Cobb gave him another name, “Kevin Merchant,” who had a felony warrant through the Youngstown Police Department for receiving stolen property and was booked as “Merchant.”

The officer had the vehicle towed away after finding a digital scale and drug-related items in a cigarette packet in the driver’s side door compartment, the report states.

Cobb was transported to jail on his active warrants and other fresh charges.

The officer said Monday night that he spoke with the Trumbull County jail supervisor, who told him they found the real identity of Cobb — who previously presented the name “Kevin Merchant” during a Dec. 6 arrest resulting in the theft, obstructing official business and criminal trespass warrants at the Liberty Plaza Walmart.

According to the jail supervisor, the real Kevin Merchant was arrested Sunday in Youngstown on a charge of receiving stolen property. A woman close to Merchant called and cleared his name, telling police they had the wrong man and likely had his cousin, Cobb.

The officer noted that looking at his BMV picture, Cobb looked “very similar” to Merchant, even growing his beard and hair to look like him.

According to the woman, Cobb had been posing as Merchant for six to seven months.

Cobb’s bail was set at $1,500 for the drug paraphernalia charges and $7,500 for both falsification charges and his obstructing official business charges. He’s set to appear back in court Feb. 26, court records show.

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