Roge Berger

WARREN — A Youngstown man has pleaded guilty to two high-level felonies stemming from his 2024 assault on a pregnant nurse in the parking lot of the former Trumbull Regional Medical Center in Warren.

Roge E. Berger, 37, of Ventura Avenue, pleaded guilty in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court to charges of first-degree aggravated robbery and second-degree felonious assault. Judge Sean O’Brien ordered Berger to undergo a background investigation prior to sentencing.

Berger was indicted upon direct presentment of his case Sept. 25, 2024, in a special report to the Trumbull County grand jury.

According to Assistant Prosecutor Michael A. Burnett, Berger was convicted of dragging a pregnant nurse from her car that was parked outside the former hospital on Sept. 12, 2024. The nurse was beaten about the face in excess of 20 times and suffered serious facial injuries as well as a broken nose and concussion, Burnett said.

According to a Warren police report, a man, later identified as Berger, was seen assaulting the nurse and attempting to steal her vehicle. The victim told police she was sitting in her vehicle when the man approached, pulled her out and repeatedly struck her in the face and head. She managed to sound the vehicle’s horn and yell for help, which drew the attention of bystanders and a security guard, prompting the attacker to run away, the report states.

Officers later found the man walking on South Street. When they attempted to detain him, he fell to the ground and refused to cooperate, the report states. The woman was treated at the hospital for injuries to her face, and medical staff checked on the health of her unborn child.

Doctors had to induce labor because of her injuries, but the baby and mother both survived.

There was no reduction in the charges in exchange for Berger’s guilty plea, and Burnett said he will recommend prison at sentencing.