Grand jury indicts 30 in Trumbull County

Grand jury indicts 30 in Trumbull County

Tribune Chronicle

WARREN ä A total of 30 people were indicted Tuesday by a Trumbull County grand jury, including five people who were secretly indicted. Those names will be revealed after arrests are made.

Among those facing felony charges and scheduled to be arraigned 9 a.m. April 9 by Common Pleas Judge Andrew Logan are:

ö Robert C. Dash Jr., 56, Matta Avenue, Youngstown, gross sexual imposition;

ö Brian Parrado, 32, Church Street, Roanoke, Va., 16 counts of receiving stolen property, 16 counts of identity fraud, and possession of a fictitious driverás license;

ö James Alvin Rodgers, 62, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Warren, possession of cocaine;

ö Jesse Rae Deramo, 34, Bristol Champion Townline Road, Warren, theft.

ö Lisa Marie Seal, 28, Newton Drive, Newton Falls, possession of heroin, possessing drug abuse instruments;

ö Cory Alexander Fusco, 25, Jackson Street, Campbell, telecommunications fraud;

ö Aswad Delmar Fleming, 25, West Avenue N.W., Warren, failure to comply with order or signal of a police officer;

ö Savanna M. Youngblood, 28, Brown Street, Niles, possession of drugs and illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia;

ö Chauncey Terrell Higgs, 24, Burlington, Youngstown, having weapons while under disability and unlawful possession of a dangerous ordnance;

ö Joshua P. Marshall, 22, Bushnell Campbell Road, Kinsman, possession of heroin;

ö Jujan Lamont Pinkard, 21, Locust Avenue, Youngstown, unlawful possession of a dangerous ordnance and possessing a defaced firearm;

ö Charles Glenn Lampley, 31, Monticello Avenue N.W., Warren, carrying a concealed weapon;

ö Glenn Eric Stephens, 49, Cleveland Avenue, Warren, possession of heroin;

ö Christine Joan DeJute, 31, Lafayette Avenue, Niles, possession of heroin and aggravated possession of drugs;

ö Raymond A. Ser Jr., 35, Crawford Drive, Hermitage, Pa., two counts of menacing by stalking and domestic violence;

ö Ahmad Basel Omar, 30, Starlite Street N.W., carrying a concealed weapon and improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle;

ö Dalton C. Bunker, 18, McCleary Jacoby Road, Cortland, aggravated possession of drugs and illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia;

ö Jason S. Dunkle-Thacker, 20, East Judson Avenue, Youngstown, possession of drugs;

ö Jerami Dion Wells, 24, Aris Street N.W., Warren, possession of heroin;

ö Timothy Walter Adkins, 30, Prentice Road, Warren, burglary;

ö Zachary Tyler Keeley, 24, Hyde Avenue, Niles, burglary;

ö Brittany Nicole Gromley, 24, Federal Street, Warren, possession of heroin and possession of drugs;

ö Robert LeRoy Durst Jr., 52, North River Road, possession of cocaine and illegal use of possession of drug paraphernalia;

ö Lonnie Hill, 45, Prospect Street, Warren, aggravated possession of drugs;

ö Tion Keneyot Stubbs, 38, Parkman Road, failure to comply with order or signal of a police officer.

The grand jury chose not to indict the following:

ö Scott E. Rockenfelder Jr., 25, Royal Mall, Niles, burglary;

ö Aleska L. Coviello, 22, Virginia Trail, Youngstown, aggravated robbery;

ö Fleming, possession of heroin;

ö Marshall, possessing drug abuse instruments and illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia;

ö Bunker, carrying a concealed weapon;

ö Gromley, illegal conveyance of drugs of abuse onto grounds of specified government facility.

An examination: 1033 in the county sheriff's office

The sheriffás office has been acquiring government surplus for the cost of transportation since 2011.

Deputies have made 44 trips to bases in neighboring states like Pennsylvania and Virginia, and as far away as Georgia to pick up items like flood lights, trucks, M-16s, clothing and Humvees.

2011: 3 trips for 350 items

2012: 11 trips for 246 items

2013: 7 trips for 20 items

2014: 18 trips for 219 items

2015: 5 trips so far this year for 163 items

An examination: 1033 in the county sheriff's office

Government surplus

By RENEE FOX

Tribune Chronicle

WARREN ä A federal give-a-way program has allowed the Trumbull County Sheriffás Office to procure nearly one thousand surplus items the government no longer needs, but the program has come under scrutiny for possible unofficial use, storage and need of the equipment.

Deputy Ty Kata, of Bristol, has been spearheading the officeás participation. Run by the Department of Defense, the surplus program is an effort to, âprovide logistics support to state and local government agencies participating in counter drug, homeland security and emergency response activity,ã according an overview provided by the Defense Logistics Agency.

âThis program has benefited us immensely,ã Sheriff Tom Altiere said. âIt has helped with budget restraints, and kept us afloat, especially the vehicles.ã

A few trucks have been procured for undercover use, another used for plowing snow in the winter and towing a boat in the summer. The large Ford 650, and a surplus boat, helped the sheriffás office procure a grant for a marine patrol, Kata said. The grant will pay 75 percent of the cost to patrol Mosquito Lake on weekends and holidays in the summers, a grant Kata said the office would not have received if they didnát have the proper equipment, which they obtained for nearly nothing.

âWe want to be a proactive force, not a reactive force,ã Kata said. âIt is better to have this equipment, now, for free, then to realize we need it and not have it.ã

A transport van Kata acquired in 2013 cost about $500 to transport and then paint, outfitted with an older radio and cage; compared to a similar model purchased by the office for over $30,000, Kata said.

A number of salt dispensers and vehicles to load and distribute it were also acquired, the equipment was used county-wide, justified as necessary to the office for improved roadway safety for officers.

âI have selected items in the interest of making law enforcement safer and more effective,ã Kata said. âOur maintenance guys can use the truck to plow snow anywhere in the county, not just our parking lot, as long as we (sheriffás office) maintain ownership.ã

There are other items that really donát have a use anymore, like a small fleet of Humvees that were obtained in 2011 and 2012, before most cruisers had all-wheel drive, Kata said. Kata admits, they mostly sit in a parking lot now, but they are good back up.

âAny time we need to raid a marijuana field, or investigate something in the back roads, we will need those vehicles, you canát drive an SUV into a field or woods,ã Kata said.

An overview of the 1033 program indicates Humvees are for counter-terrorism and counter-drug use and should be given to another agency if they are not needed.

The internal investigation Altiere has opened up will look into where some of this equipment was stored and repaired, and whether or not it was used to lay manure down on an employeeás farm or in other personal ways.

On Friday, Kata said some of the heavy equipment, including a back hoe, has to be âplayed with so we know how to use it when we need it.ã

The items offered from nearby bases cost only the time, gas and tolls it takes to get to the base and bring it back. But participants often do not know exactly what they are going to pick up, and items often need repairs. Kata and other deputies have made over 40 trips to Pennsylvania, Virginia, and as far away as Georgia, since 2011.

âTax payers have already paid for this stuff, it is being used to improve the way we serve them,ã Kata said.

Kata usually travels by himself, unless he needs another driver to bring back a working vehicle. He said, on an average trip he turns in receipts for about $120 in fuel costs, a little more when he travels toll roads.

On Thursday, Kata said the only time he has stayed over night was on a trip to Georgia to pick up nine multi-fuel motorcycles March, last year. The motorcycles were lightly used, but in need of repairs and fluids. The motorcycles have not been used for official business yet, but they were being worked on, until the weather grew cold, Kata said. His goal is to get as many of the motorcycles into working condition as possible and then assign them to individual deputies, as is the plan for the nine ATVs. Some of the vehicles will need to be cannibalized to get them into working order.

âThe pick-up cost of these items is small, most of the expense comes from parts, repairs and maintenance,ã Kata said.

The first few items Kata ordered were snowblowers and weed trimmers, used by prisoners around the county. Many of the items were not in working condition. Kata said students in classes at Trumbull Career and Technical Center practiced small engine repair on the tools, learning to determine with ones to cannibalize and which ones to save with parts.

Law enforcement agencies must fill out justification forms after selecting an item, once the request is approved, a representative from the agency has 14 days to pick it up. Departments are not allowed to sell the items, but they can give them back or to other law enforcement agencies. Kata said he has become friendly with coordinators on the bases he frequents, sometimes he calls them to find out if an item listed in the database is really worth going to get. A lot of times he goes into the deal blind.

âWe get a lot of good equipment out of the programä not all of it is goodä but what is good we use,ã Altiere said.

Spotlights was Kataás most recent acquisition, they havenát been used yet, and are sitting out in a parking lot, but they could illuminate a night-time crime scene, Kata said.

âWe use this stuff, maybe not every day, but we use it,ã Kata said.

Descriptions of the items are categorical, any item that comes from the kitchen is called âkitchen equipmentã with no further information. Trucks and utility vehicles are identified as such, but no information about their working condition is included, or what types of repairs they may need. Kata said he often brings belts, batteries and other things with him to pick-up vehicles.

A tool box is listed on the site as a âtool kit,ã that can be anything from a small, metal and empty handy-man tool box, or a large tough box filled with a useful, if slightly incomplete, ratchet set or other tools.

A random audit in August, from the state program coordinator in Columbus, found no problems with how the items are being used or stored, Major Harold Firster said. And, Firster said, they have requested an additional audit.

Altiere is expected to release an analysis of over-time and other costs associated with the trips and surplus program soon.

rfox@tribtoday.com

Coroner: An outside forensic anthropologist will help identify remains

Coroner: An outside forensic anthropologist will help identify remains

By RENEE FOX

Tribune Chronicle

WARREN ä The county coroner will be seeking some outside help from an experienced forensic anthropologist to identify the human remains discovered in an empty East Market Street building Thursday.

âWe are the very beginning of this investigation, and we are dealing with mostly skeletal remains,ã Dr. Humphrey Germaniuk said Friday. âA forensic anthropologist has more experience with this state of decay and can see things that would be hidden to you, or even me.ã

The first step in the investigation is to determine height, weight, race and sex, Germaniuk said. That information will be used to compare against a list of missing people in the area, helping investigators narrow the identification effort. Next, the examiner will look for any signs of trauma and determine what significance the evidence has.

Germaniuk said he is familiar with a few expert forensic anthropologists from his time as a medical examiner in Washington, D.C.; the remains will be transported to a facility in the capitol after an arrangement is reached.

City detectives are also investigating the case that begin when Keith and Kyle Bickel were checking for asbestos at two vacant properties. The remains were found in 540 E. Market St., purchased with 528 E. Market St. by Sunrise Inn owner Ken Haidaris at the beginning of this month for $35,900 from Kathleen Zamarelli in a sheriffás sale.

Haidaris had hired the Bickels, father and son contractors, through Don Walters of Walters Paving in Warren, to inspect the property for asbestos. Although the plans havenát been finalized, Haidaris said he is thinking about building a patio for his restaurant.

Keith, 52, and Kyle, 25, had finished inspecting the other building and the business area of 540 E. Market St., when Kyle noticed something in a pile of insulation. He kicked some debris out of the way and was shocked to discover what looked like a hand bone, he said on the phone Friday.

Kyle called his father over and, after examining it, realized it was probably human. Keith called Walters and after looking at it together they called police and went upstairs, looking to see if there were any other remains.

âThere is this kind of overhang in the front of the building that creates about a 2-foot gap between the plaster (inside wall) and the roof,ã Keith Bickel said. âInside a closet, just above where the arm was, there was caulking around a board covering that little cubby hole between the wall and roof.ã

The skeletal remains were in that space. Keith said the deceased appeared to have been wearing a red and white plaid shirt, it was in tatters. If there were any other items of clothing, the items may have decomposed. Keith said he could see the deceasedás pelvic bone.

Keith said the whole house had a stench to it, as most vacant buildings do, but there were dirty dishes and âjunkã around the apartment. The house seemed to have been occupied as recently as five or six months ago, Keith said.

Kyle said the discovery was, âshocking, like something you might see on T.V.ã

rfox@tribtoday.com

3 arrested in roof top A/C theft

3 arrested in roof top A/C theft

By RENEE FOX

Tribune Chronicle

WARREN ä Three Warren residents were arrested and charged with misdemeanor theft Thursday morning, after a nearby business owner noticed them at the former Harley Davidson, 410 High St., and an officer pulled over a gray Pontiac matching the witness's description on Niles Road, according to police.

Police and witnesses said an air conditioning unit had been broken into pieces and stolen from the building's roof.

Donald C. Paul, 49, and Tamika L. Berry, 35, both of 766 Hall St. N.W., and Lucas M. Timko, 28, of 2500 North Road N.E., were in the car seen leaving the empty building around 11:45 a.m., according to a police report. Police pulled them over and discovered Paul and Berry had warrants for their arrest through Warren Municipal Court.

The report states scrap was hanging out of the trunk of the Pontiac, which had illegal historical plates. The air conditioning units that were on the roof were dismantled into smaller pieces, Lt. Dan Mason confirmed. A witness said the three may have gained access to the roof through a first floor window.

The suspects were positively identified by the witness before they were booked at the jail.

All three pleaded not guilty in Warren Municipal Court Friday, Timko is being held in leiu of bond at the Trumbull County Jail, Berry and Paul were released.

Preliminary hearings are scheduled, Paul and Berry will appear before Judge Terry Ivanchak on April 30, Timko before Judge Thomas Gysegem on April 2.

There have been a slew of metal thefts from ground and rooftop air conditioning units in Trumbull County. Investigators could not say whether or not the trio is responsible for other, similar thefts in the county.

rfox@tribtoday.com

Lowery's gun fire nearly hit another officer

Loweryás gun fire nearly hit another officer

Ambulance called 3 minutes after Dempsey shot

By RENEE FOX

Tribune Chronicle

WARREN ä According to the nearly 1,000-page county prosecutorás report, one of the 10, .40 caliber bullets Weathersfield police officer Daniel Lowery fired at Cody Dempsey whizzed past Trooper Donald Walker and lodged in the front fender of his Ohio State Highway Patrol cruiser.

âTrooper Walker did feel the percussion of a round go through the right rear window of the suspectás car before he retreated. The round ended up in Trooper Walkerás left front patrol care fender,ã the report states.

Before the shots were fired, âOfficer Lowery had his weapon out and he and Trooper Walker looked at each other as though they were concerned with cross-fire.ã

Walker also had his weapon drawn, pointing at the back of Dempseyás head and could not see Dempsey pointing the gun at his own head or Weathersfield police officer Kristopher Hodge. The report states Lowery decided to fire his Glock when Dempsey turned the gun toward Hodge.

Walker said he started to move closer to the stolen Cadillac to help âextractá Dempsey when he heard Lowery shout, âGun,ã and then heard the shots.

Walker was about a foot away from the rear window when it was shattered by Loweryás gun fire. Dempsey, Walker said he later discovered, was his sister-in-lawás nephew.

Sheriffás deputy Joseph Jones told investigators he himself did not fire because when the suspect raised the Colt to his own head, Jones realized he would be in the line of fire if Dempsey killed himself and moved out of the way. When Dempsey pointed the gun toward Hodge, Jones said he didnát fire because other officers could have been hit by friendly fire.

Dempsey had stolen a 1983 Cadillac El Dorado from Burghill Auto Salvage and placed a friendás stolen license plates on it, a few hours after a fight with 30-year-old ex-girlfriend Danielle Hall of Sharon and friend David âRyanã Gray at the Orangeville Tavern in Sharpsville.

Bartender Jaime Miracle said Dempsey, who had been at the bar for about four hours, threw a bottle when she told him not to take his beer outside and argued with Gray and Hall in the parking lot. Although Dempseyás attitude was âsubduedã when he arrived, Miracle told investigators, he became agitated as the night went on. Hall, Miracle stated, told the bartender that she had hit Cody three times in the parking lot before he walked off around 2 a.m.

A voicemail Dempsey left Hall seems to confirm Miracleás statement, â(you) sit there and lie to me, square to my face. And then punch me in the face.ã

The voicemail also indicates Dempsey thought Gray was hitting on Hall in front of him, five days after she broke up with Dempsey, citing his addiction to prescription pills.

Dempsey, who had a documented history of substance abuse and overdoses going back to 2005, had been written a prescription for oxycodone about three months before he died. He had opiods and cannabinoids in his system when he died, according to the coroner.

The 25-year-old sent many text and voice messages to Hall and Gray, declaring his intent for his life to end when law enforcement caught up with him.

After rifling through a few cars near the tavern, Dempsey eventually found 74-year-old Gerald Odamás loaded .10 caliber Colt Delta Elite and two additional magazines in the center console of Odamás unlocked 1998 Lincoln on Bradlee Browlee Road in Kinsman, a 7 minute walk from the salvage yard.

Odam bought the gun in 1989, the year Dempsey was born.

The walk from the tavern to the salvage yard would have taken about an hour and a half or two hours.

At 11:01 a.m., Detective Michael Yannucci of the sheriffás department spotted the Cadillac and discovered the plates didnát match the stolen vehicle.

And, although first aide was performed on Dempsey after he was shot at 11:11 a.m., an ambulance wasnát requested until 11:14 a.m. Dempsey died shortly after being transported to the hospital.

An autopsy confirmed, with a gun shot residue test, that Dempsey had fired the stolen gun at some point. A single round was missing from the loaded magazine, its spent casing found in the stolen car along with the bullet hole in the floorboard. A fragment of the bullet was found in the roadway.

After being shot, an officer told Dempsey to hold his hands up. He was able to raise one.

âI just heard heavy breathing and gurgling. When the EMTs arrived he said his name was àCody,áã Trooper Kristopher Conaway stated. That was all Dempsey said in front of officers at the scene, but his eyes were open.

âHe wasnát fighting or resisting, more likely trying to hold onto his life,ã Jones said.

rfox@tribtoday.com

Heroin availability and drug overdoses increase

Heroin availability and drug overdoses increase

By RENEE FOX

Tribune Chronicle

     ö Heroin was present in 2/3 of accidental overdose deaths

ö 42 percent of deaths were a result of a polydrug intoxication

ö Either cocaine, oxycodone, methadone, morphine, hydrocodone, fentanyl, opiates or amphetamines were responsible for 11 of the deaths

ö Six of the people that died suffered from a medical condition and drug overdose

Where the deaths occurred:

Warren: 14

Howland: 8

Niles: 7

Weathersfield: 3

Cortland: 3

Hubbard: 3

Brookfield: 2

Liberty: 2

McDonald: 2

Bazetta: 2

Newton Falls: 1

Masury: 1

Austintown: 1

Braceville: 1

Unknown/ hospital: 4

SOURCE: Trumbull County Coroner's Office

A drug trafficking highway stretching across Ohio may be partially responsible for the availability of heroin and a rise in accidental overdose deaths in Trumbull County, according to law enforcement and industry specialists.

"We are located where the highways between Detroit, Toledo and Columbus meet," Executive Director of the Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board April Caraway said. "That makes the heroin very pure, very cheap and highly accessible." 

Caraway's analysis is backed up with data from Trumbull County Coroner Dr. Humphrey Germaniuk and facts and opinions gathered from law enforcement, counselors and users in a recently released Ohio Substance Abuse Monitoring Network study. OSAM reports on drug trends in eight metro areas across the state, every six months.

Data from Germaniuk show there were 54 accidental overdose deaths in the county, up from 39 in 2013. Heroin caused 20 of those deaths last year -- 36, if counting the number of times heroin showed up in the bloodstream of the deceased, combined in a fatal mixture with other drugs.

According to the OSAM report, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation Richfield Crime Lab reported an increase in the number of heroin cases it processed between this and the last reporting period.

An Ohio Drug Task Force Report covering 2010 to 2013, shows a sharp increase in heroin trafficking and possession indictments. In 2010, drug task forces across the state generated 470 indictments for heroin trafficking, and 237 indictments for heroin possession. In 2013, there were 1,217 indictments for heroin trafficking and 777 for possession. 

There was more than one accidental death from drug overdose a week last year in Trumbull County, 54 total.

ö 38 men and 16 women died

ö 94 percent were white

ö 0 were 21 or younger

ö 24 percent were aged 22-30 years

ö 37 percent were aged 31-45 years

ö 27 percent were aged 46-56 years

ö 11 percent were aged 57-79 years

 

The report states that heroin was responsible for a 160 percent increase in total drug trafficking indictments and a 200 percent increase in total drug possession indictments.

OSAM examined Trumbull County from January to June with Mahoning, Columbiana, Ashtabula and Jefferson counties, making up the Youngstown region. Toledo, Cleveland, Dayton, Akron-Canton, Cincinnati, Columbus and Athens were also surveyed. Heroin availability increased in six regions and is considered high in all eight.

Drug users undergoing treatment in Columbiana, Jefferson and Mahoning counties were surveyed in focus groups; treatment providers and law enforcement were interviewed in focus groups in Trumbull, Ashtabula and Mahoning counties.

Participants were asked about the availability, pricing and potency of crack and powder cocaine, heroine, prescription opiods, methamphetamines, marijuana and numerous other drugs, to produce epidemiologi­cal descriptions of local substance abuse trends.

They were asked to rank the availability of the substances on a one-to-10 scale, with 10 ranking as the most available. Users, law enforcement and substance abuse treatment counselors agreed, heroin is a "10."

"Heroin, lots and lots of heroin," a specialist commented in the report.

Trumbull County Sheriff Captain Jeff Orr said the majority of heroin in our region comes from Detroit, although Ashtabula sees product from New York. The Valley might be a rest stop for traffickers on their way to other parts of Ohio, according to information garnered during arrests and traffic stops.

In addition to the location of the county, focus group participants and Caraway speculated increased heroin use is a result of a reduction in prescriptions for opiods written by doctors because of stricter regulations. Orr said more prescription drugs are being discovered in busts in the region.

"The No. 1 reason people get hooked on heroin is an addiction to opiates after an injury," Caraway said. "When the doctor takes away the prescription, they get sick, going through withdrawal. They turn to heroin to help with the pain and sickness. It is remarkably cheaper."

The report also found 6 out of 10 heroin users in the region share injection needles.

"More (people share needles) than you believe," a comment in the report states. "The younger kids now, they don't take it serious ... they think they are Superman and won't (catch a disease)."

The OSAM report found an increase in hepatitis C cases among intravenous drug users in the Dayton and Columbus regions.

Heroin is also losing its stigma, according to treatment providers interviewed. That's bad news in a county that saw deaths from the drug nearly double in the last two years.

Accidental overdoses are my primary concern, Caraway said. Trumbull County has gotten worse; we rank sixth (out of 88) in the state for accidental overdoses on heroin, up from ninth.

Of concern is a rise in the number of adolescent heroin users, according to the majority of the region treatment providers surveyed by OSAM. Last year, none of the people who suffered a fatal overdose was under the age of 22.

Between 2010 and 2013, 260,158 grams of heroin were removed from the streets according to the Ohio Drug Task Force Report.

Last month, Warren police recovered nearly four pounds of heroin worth at least $250,000 from 1538 North Road; Ricardo McKinney was charged with felony possession. The bust was the biggest ever in Warren, the second largest in Trumbull County, according to police.

According to national data from the Centers for Disease Control, more people ages 25 to 64 die from drug overdose than traffic accidents. Overdoses were the leading cause of deaths from injury in 2012 and the drug overdose rate has more than doubled since 1999.

Accidental drug overdoses in Trumbull County 2010-2014:

2010: 49

2011: 59

2012: 36

2013: 39

2014: 54

From heroin:

2010: 6

2011: 19

2012: 10

2013: 12

2014: 20

Solutions

Although there won't always be an emergency worker of law enforcement professional nearby when someone is suffering from a heroin overdose, a dose of naxalone, or Narcan, swiftly administered can save someone's life.

Earlier this month, St. Joseph Warren Hospital donated 40 of the pricey kits to the Trumbull County Sheriff's office. A spray that enters the body through the nostrils, Narcan acts to reverse respiratory depression by blocking the receptors activated by opiods. Narcan acts as an antidote to a body over-exposed to heroin and other opiates, including some prescription drugs.

Dr. Edward J. Novosel, associate medical director at the hospital, said many overdose victims die before first responders arrive or before he or she can be transported for medical treatment.

"Having Narcan available as soon as the sheriff's deputies arrive is a lifesaver," Novosel said. "The sooner the Narcan is administered, the better the chances the overdose victim will survive."

The price of naxalone has only increased as its efficacy has become known. The primary solution to a heroin overdose is prevention.

"We need to have some realism in the classroom, not just a teacher reading from a book," Orr said. "The police, the addicts, the coroner and social workers, the people out there seeing the effects, need to share their experiences with kids."

There are new government standards for drug abuse education, Orr said, requiring students to learn about prescription drug addiction. Opiod addictions usually begin with prescription drugs, Orr said; and students should be learning about addiction from more industry professionals, not just teachers.

"I think we will see some positive changes in the years to come," Orr said. "We have strategic partnerships with the MHRB and are working to get awareness out in the community."

The MHRB has allocated $826,000 to pay for addiction and detoxification services for those that need the help and cannot afford it. Trumbull County does not have a treatment center that offers a place to detox; residents seeking help have to go to Mahoning County, Caraway said. The process usually takes 5 to 7 days and costs a minimum of $2,700. Caraway said by the time many addicts reach treatment, heroin doesn't even give them a high anymore; they take it to avoid the extreme aches and flu-like symptoms withdrawal causes.

The MHRB works to match users with a program that will work for the individual and also sponsors the Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention, ASAP. Using marketing and public awareness, the board hopes to prevent drug use with school programs, advertising and focusing public awareness on the problem, Caraway said.

ASAP hosts programs like Hope for Recovery, where addicts, the coroner and other industry professionals speak about their experiences and the effects of drug use, designed to educate the public on addiction prevention and intervention.

Other trends

The OSAM report includes information on all illegal drug trends in monitored regions of Ohio, and found the availability of bath salts and synthetic marijuana has gone down during the reporting period, largely due to busts on known sellers.

Powdered and crack cocaine use and availability has remained relatively stable. The substance, in either version, was present in 35 percent of Mahoning County Coroner drug deaths. A new trend, users reported, is mixing crack cocaine with Kool-Aid or vinegar, in order to inject it. Also, because of the length of time crack has been on the streets now, there are more older users now.

"A treatment provider explained that heroin seems more fatal, while crack cocaine users can use it for a longer period of time," the OSAM report states.

Prescription drugs are just as available on the streets as ever before; Percocet and oxycodone were listed by users and professionals as the most widely available illegally trafficked prescribed medication.

And Roxicodone use is on the rise, according to an officer in the OSAM report, "More people are being prescribed (Roxicodone 30 mg), so it is going to be... a lot more accessible."

One or more prescription opiod was present in half of all drug-related deaths in Mahoning County over the OSAM reporting period.

"I don't think anyone takes their pills anymore. I think they just sell them," a study participant said.

rfox@tribtoday.com