The Office Administration Division of the Trumbull County Prosecutor's Office is comprised of all of the support and secretarial staff for each of the other divisions. It is the largest division of the Trumbull County Prosecutor's Office, with 14 staff members. These dedicated individuals keep track of all open cases and the status of each case; act as a liaison between attorneys and law enforcement and the citizens of Trumbull County; assist in scheduling; and help prepare correspondence and legal documents such as answers, complaints, discovery, indictments, and subpoenas and other legal pleadings.
This Division is headed by the Office Manager, Joyce Hoffman, who in addition to providing administrative support to Mr. Watkins, oversees the administrative staff. She is also responsible for maintaining all personnel records, budgetary records, accounting records, annual reports and inventories, ordering all supplies and equipment, meeting with sales persons, arranging business itineraries and making travel arrangements, and all other general office management duties necessary to keep the office operating smoothly on a day to day basis, as well as, coordinating testing and hiring procedures of the secretarial staff.
Christopher D. Becker, First Assistant
Frances A. Hively, Administrative Assistant
Joyce A. Hoffman, Office Manager
Stacey M. Baker, Secretary/Investigator
Rochelle A. Testa, Secretary/Investigator
Kathy L. Thompson, Assistant Office Manager
Christine M. Pflager, Secretary/Investigator
Sharon L. Dickey, Secretary
Darlene Sudol, Secretary
Joyce A. Hoffman, Office Manager
Christy R. Lynn, Secretary
Noele M. Schell, Grand Jury Coordinator
Alexa Popovich, Secretary
Michelle K. Adkins, Secretary/Intake Assistant
Danette Manusakis, Receptionist/Secretary
The Appellate Division provides legal representation in all legal matters of the Criminal and Civil Divisions involving appeals from local Court decisions to the Eleventh District Court of Appeals, Ohio Supreme Court, Federal Courts of Appeal, and the United States Supreme Court.
Most of the appeals are taken by Defendants who have been convicted of crimes, and under the law, have the right to have the Court of Appeals review their conviction and sentence. The Court of Appeals is often, but not always, the last Court to which a convicted person can appeal.
Attorney:
Ryan J. Sanders,
Eleventh District Court of Appeals
Supreme Court of Ohio
Supreme Court of the United States
The Civil Division provides legal representation to all elected county officials and their respective offices. It also provides legal representation to all County Boards and Commissions, the Board of Elections, the Board of Health, the county's townships, and school districts. This division represents all of these entities in matters of litigation in State and Federal Courts, contracts, personnel matters, collection of real estate and personal property taxes owed the County, and rendering general legal advice to all of the County and Township officials. The Civil Division likewise prepares levies for primary and general elections for the townships and school boards.
The Child Support Division, the Real Estate Foreclosure Division and the Tax Collections Division are specialized units within the General Civil Division.
Attorneys:
William J. Danso, Chief - Civil Division
Lynn B. Griffith, III, Civil Division
Jason M. Toth, Civil Division
Samantha L. Monroe, Civil Division
Administrative Staff:
Sharon L. Dickey, Secretary
Darlene Sudol, Secretary
The Real Estate Foreclosure Division deals with cases in which the Trumbull County Treasurer initiates a foreclosure action on real property to recover delinquent real estate taxes.
This Division also handles matters in which individual taxpayers appeal the assessed value of their real property to the Board of Revision.
The Real Property Foreclosure Division also protects tax liens in which a mortgage company is foreclosing on a defaulted mortgage loan.
Attorneys:
William J. Danso
Lynn B. Griffith, III
Samantha L. Monroe
Links:
Trumbull County Auditor's Page
Trumbull County Clerk of Courts
The Tax Collections Division of the Trumbull County Prosecutor's Office is responsible for tax appeal cases and the collection, and cases in which the Trumbull County Treasurer initiates a collection action to recover delinquent personal property taxes. Personal property taxes are assessed on business equipment.
The Tax Collections Division also files proofs of claim in conjunction with the Trumbull County Treasurer for real estate, personal property, and mobile home taxes. We also file claims in cases for restitution and county mortgages.
This Division likewise assists with seizures on property and equipment when a collection can not be made.
Attorneys:
William J. Danso
Lynn B. Griffith,III
Samantha L. Monroe
The Criminal Division represents the citizens of the State of Ohio and Trumbull County in prosecuting criminal cases in our two County Courts (Central District Court in Cortland and the Eastern District Court in Brookfield), the four Trumbull County Common Pleas Courts, and the two Trumbull County Juvenile Courts. This Division also renders legal advice and assistance to our County's different Police Departments, including the Trumbull County Homicide Task Force.
The Child Assault Prosecution Division, Child Pornography/Cyber Abuse Division, Drug Prosecution Division, Gun Violence Prosecution Division, Juvenile Division, and Welfare Fraud Division are specialized units within the General Criminal Division.
Members of the General Criminal Division also serve on the Trumbull County Homicide Task Force, which assists local law enforcement agencies in the investigation and prosecution of homicide cases in Trumbull County.
Attorneys:
Ryan J. Sanders, Chief, Appellate Division; Elderly Abuse
Diane L. Barber, Chief - Child Assault Prosecution Division
Christopher D. Becker, First Assistant & Senior Trial Attorney
Gina Buccino Thomas, Criminal Division Trial Attorney
Michael A. Burnett, Criminal Division Trial Attorney; DUI/Vehicular Homicide
Deena L. DeVico, Eastern District Court and Central District Court Prosecutor
Stanley A. Elkins, Chief - Juvenile Division; Drug Court Prosecutor
Lynn B. Griffith, III, Welfare Fraud
Charles L. Morrow, Chief - Criminal Division
Gabriel M. Wildman, Child Assault Prosecutor & Juvenile Prosecutor
Investigators:
Michael Krafcik, Child Assault Division; Trumbull County Homicide Task Force
Roy Anne Rudolph, Investigator - Child Assault Division; Child Homicide Division
Administrative Staff:
Joyce A. Hoffman, Office Manager
Christy R. Lynn, Secretary
The Child Assault Prosecution Division is responsible for ongoing investigations and prosecution of allegations of physical and sexual abuse perpetrated by adults or minors upon children under the age of 18. This Division is also responsible for ongoing investigation and prosecution of child homicides, as well as incidents of endangering children.
This Division is staffed by 2 attorneys and 2 investigators.
Attorneys:
Diane L. Barber, Chief
Gabriel M. Wildman
Investigators::
Roy Anne Rudolph, Investigator
Michael Krafcik, Investigator
These investigators assist the Prosecutor in preparing cases, and interviewing witnesses and victims in cases involving child sexual and physical abuse.
Links:
Child Pornograhy/Cyber Abuse Division is a new Division of the office created in 2012 to work with state and federal agencies in the investigation and prosecution of child pornography and emphasizing the enforcement of laws involving crime against children using the internet and social media.
Attorney:
Gabriel M. Wildman
Investigator:
Michael Krafcik
The Drug Prosecution Division is responsible for prosecuting all cases involving the sale of illegal narcotics. Additionally, the Division is responsible for prosecuting cases involving illegal use and sales of pharmaceuticals. The Division also works closely with all local law enforcement agencies as well as federal agencies in the prosecution of drug related criminal matters.
Attorneys:
Charles L. Morrow, Chief - Criminal Division
Gina Buccino-Thomas
Links:
Drug Enforcement Administration
TAG Law Enforcement Task Force
The Felony D.U.I./Vehicular Homicide Division is responsible for prosecuting felony driving under the influence (D.U.I.) cases, felony vehicular homicide cases and aggravated vehicular assault cases which are cases in which a victim has suffered serious physical harm.
Attorney:
Michael A. Burnett
Links:
M.A.D.D.
Ohio State Highway Patrol
The Senior Citizens Abuse Unit is charged with prosecuting offenses in which the victims are elderly Trumbull County residents. These include a wide array of offenses, including the physical abuse and financial exploitation of senior citizens. This Unit also works closely with members of the Victim/Witness Division in providing assistance to our elderly victims of crime.
This Unit is funded by a grant from the Ohio Attorney General's Office.
Attorney:
Ryan J. Sanders
Other Contacts:
Adult Protective Services
Senior Rights and Advocacy
Trumbull County Probate Court
Trumbull County Victim/Witness Division
Links:
The Gun Violence Prosecution Division is charged with prosecuting all offenses involving firearms in both the Common Pleas and Juvenile Courts. These include a wide array of cases ranging from felons who illegally possess firearms and dangerous ordinances to homicides that are committed with a gun.
The Division was initially funded under a grant from the federal government as a part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. This program is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime by combining the efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement officials and aggressively enforcing the current laws governing the use and possession of firearms. The goal of the program is to create safer neighborhoods by reducing gun violence and sustaining the reduction.
Attorney:
Christopher D. Becker
If you have questions or information about guns in your neighborhood, contact:
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (ATF)
City Centre One
100 East Federal Plaza, Rm. 420
Youngstown, Ohio 44503
(330) 747-8285
Links:
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms
The Juvenile Division of the Trumbull County Prosecutor's Office is responsible for prosecuting all juvenile criminal cases, cases involving children under the age of 18 years, whether they involve felonies, misdemeanors, traffic violations or status offenses such as truancy and incorrigibility.
The office also prosecutes adult contributing cases in which adults have created situations resulting in a juvenile being delinquent or unruly.
The Prosecutor appears before two Judges and one Magistrate. Police Departments rely heavily on the Prosecutor for advice on sensitive issues that are not present in adult cases.
The Trumbull County Juvenile Court is located at Trumbull County Family Court, 220 South Main Avenue, Warren, Ohio 44482.
Attorneys:
Stanley A. Elkins, Chief - Juvenile Division
Gabriel M. Wildman
Ryan Sanders
Administrative Staff:
Michelle K. Adkins, Juvenile Intake Assistant, (330) 675-7728
Victim Witness:
Ronna Maloney, Victim Witness Advocate (330) 675-2393
Forms: Juvenile Complaint Form
Juvenile Complaint Days:
Wednesday 10:30 AM-Noon
Friday 1:00 PM- 3:00 PM
*Please call at 9:00 AM on Wednesdays or 11:00 AM on Fridays to confirm that complaints are being taken that day.
You will need the following items to file charges on your own child:
1. Your child's social security number;
2. A copy of the police report if you are filing any charge other than unruly behavior.
To file on someone else's child you will need the following items:
1. Copy of the police report;
2. Child's name;
3. Child's address;
4. Child's Date of birth;
5. Seventy-five dollar ($75.00) filing fee. (No checks)
*The name of the child's parent/s and the name of the school the child attends is helpful but not required.
The Welfare Fraud Division is charged with prosecuting all offenses involving welfare fraud, which includes Food Stamps, Ohio Works First, Medicaid, and Child Care Services. This Unit works closely with the Benefits Recovery Unit of the Trumbull County Jobs and Family Services.
If you suspect someone of improperly receiving benefits, please call (330)675-2000.
Attorneys:
Lynn B. Griffith, III
Gina Buccino-Thomas
The Victim/Witness Assistance Division provides assistance and information to victims of crime and referrals to other quality support services offered in Trumbull County. Advocates are available twenty-four hours a day to assist victims of crimes such as domestic violence, stalking, assault, sexual abuse, child abuse, drunk driving, and survivors of homicide victims. These services are available to all residents of Trumbull County, or anyone who becomes the victim of a violent crime in Trumbull County.
This Division's trained advocates are available to lend immediate support to victims of violent crime, to accompany them to court appearances, and parole board hearings, to assist in preparing victim impact statements, to provide information and guidance concerning the criminal justice system, make referral to appropriate social service agencies and counselors, provide information concerning payment of medical bills from the Ohio Victim's Compensation Fund, and to notify victims and witnesses concerning important hearing dates and the status or outcome of criminal cases in which they are involved.
The Division also provides assistance through VINE which is a free, anonymous, computer-based service that provides victims of crime two important services: information and notification.
The Victim/Witness Division is located on the second floor of the Trumbull County Courthouse, in Courthouse Square, Downtown Warren, Ohio. The office can be contacted at (330)-675-2551.
Victim/Witness Advocates:
MaryJo Hoso, Administrative Assistant and Victim Witness Advocate
Jenna Maze, Victim/Witness Advocate
Ronna Maloney, Juvenile Victim/Witness Advocate
Other Contacts:
Rape Crisis
M.A.D.D.
Parents of Murdered Children
Someplace Safe
Links:
Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections - Office of Victim Services