Youngstown man gets at least eight years in prison on arson charges

The following cases were handled Wednesday morning before Judge Sean O’Brien of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court:

• Austin W. Dunmire, 26, of Dearborn Street, Youngstown, pleaded guilty to two first-degree aggravated arson and one count second-degree aggravated arson and was sentenced to an indefinite eight- to 12-year prison sentence. Dunmire was also labeled a arson offender and must register annually with authorities after his prison release. The case involved a June 21, 2023 fire at a home in the 2100 block of South Market Street in Girard. Two victims were sleeping at the time as smoke filtered throughout the house as the fire was started on the back porch, reports stated. The state fire marshal later determined the fire to be arson and surveillance footage and a neighbor’s account to police determined that Dunmire was the perpetrator. Prosecutors stated Dunmire was involved in a feud with the suspects and had made threats to “light the house on fire.”
• Erik J. Plant Jr., 35, of Monticello Boulevard, Liberty Township, pleaded guilty to one count attempted strangulation and one count misdemeanor domestic violence. Platt could face up to two years incarceration and will be sentenced after he undergoes a background investigation conducted by county probation officers. The case involved a July 27, 2023, incident where a 45-year-old woman of the household had hands placed around her neck. The victim was in the courtroom and told the judge she had agreed with the plea deal arrangement.
• Bianca L. Broussard, 29, of Woodbine Avenue SE, Warren, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree charges of attempted having weapons while under disability and improper handling of firearms in a motor vehicle. Broussard, who could face up to three years in prison, will be sentenced after undergoing a background check. Broussard was arrested on May 19, 2023 after a traffic stop by Warren police in the 800 block of Maple Street SW. She was the passenger in the vehicle and was found with a 9 mm pistol under her thigh. Broussard, because of a 2013 robbery conviction in Trumbull County, is ineligible to handle firearms. As part of the plea deal, Broussard agreed to forfeit any possession of the 9 mm SCCCY CPX2 pistol.