Warren man pleads guilty to ‘pistol-whipping’ Niles woman

Scott C. Dowell Jr., 23, of Warren, pleaded guilty Wednesday before Judge Sean O’Brien of the Trumbull County Common Pleas Court to a second-degree felonious assault charge and will be sentenced after undergoing a background investigation conducted by probation officers.

Dowell was charged by Niles police after a report on Aug. 9, 2023, stated a 21-year-old female reported being pistol whipped by a man who was visiting her home in the 700 block of Mason Street in Niles.

The woman was treated for a deep cut over the eye.

Officers investigating found a 9mm round in the floor of the home, but the weapon was not recovered, prosecutors said.

As part of a plea deal, a firearm specification against Dowell was dismissed.

He still could face between two and 12 years in prison.

This story was originally published December 21, 2023 at 8:27 AM.