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YOUNGSTOWN -- Dion L. Taylor, 32, of East Lucius Avenue, was indicted Thursday on two counts of aggravated robbery with firearm specifications, two counts of kidnapping with firearm specifications and single counts of escape, grand theft of a motor vehicle and felony theft in the alleged armed robbery of a cell phone store on Mahoning Avenue in the city June 24.
Taylor is also the same man who was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison in August of 2021 for making multiple bomb threats regarding downtown Youngstown buildings Dec. 2, 2019, leading to the evacuation of one of the federal buildings downtown.
In that incident, investigators said, Taylor made threats from a cellphone. The phone was located in the area of West Federal Street downtown near the George V. Voinovich Government Center at the time the call was made.
The threat was that there was a bomb at "the courthouse," the Youngstown Police Department, George V. Voinovich Government Center and "the county," authorities stated. It led to the evacuation of the U.S. District Court building on Market Street downtown, but not the evacuation of any of the other buildings.
A second bomb threat call came in later that day. That time, the caller was near The former Vindicator Building on West Front Street. Officers went there and spotted two men, including Taylor, who initially denied he had a cellphone, according to reports.
Taylor later pulled out a cellphone and showed it to an officer, who saw the phone had been used to dial 911 at the same times as the bomb threats. Taylor resisted being arrested, then complained of chest pains and was taken to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, where he told officers none of his threats were real.
He said he made the calls because the mother of his child told him she had called his probation officer and the U.S. Marshals were looking for him. He said he called the bomb threat because he wanted his parole officer's building evacuated to "buy some time."
In June of 2024, Taylor was sentenced to another 15 months in federal prison for violating the terms of his supervised release for drug use and absconding from a treatment facility.
As for the June 24 robbery, if he is convicted of all of his charges, h could get about 50 years in prison.
A police report gave no details on the armed robbery except that officers were called to a blacked out address on Mahoning Avenue at 7:58 p.m. for an aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, kidnapping and other lesser charges and "took statements from the … victims." It stated that an investigation "led to the suspect's location and subsequent arrest."
More specific information about crimes committed against companies is sometimes not provided in Youngstown police reports, apparently because officials believe businesses are considered victims under Ohio's Marsy's Law, which protects the identities of crime victims and went into effect in 2023.
Mahoning Avenue in Youngstown spans a distance of about 2.7 miles between downtown Youngstown and Meridian Road at the Austintown line. It's hard to estimate how many businesses there are in that part of Mahoning Avenue.
Others indicted Thursday are:
• Michael Koziorynsky, 31, Belden Avenue, felonious assault.
• Matthew Howell, 42, Coit Road, Lowellville, aggravated drug possession.
• Jason Deshelter, 45, Johnny K Boulevard, Hubbard, aggravated drug possession.
• Ismael Camacho III, 45, Pike Street, Alliance, being a felon in possession of a firearm.
• Steven M. Vanpelt, 41, West Virginia Avenue, Sebring, being a felon in possession of a firearm and misdemeanor using weapons while intoxicated.
• Cody A. Atwell, 27, Burkey Road, Austintown, felony theft.
• McKaley Wallace, 31, Estates Circle, drug possession and felony theft.
The grand jury refused to indict Marlon Drummond.