Austintown man pleads guilty to assaulting police officer

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

• Timothy P. White, 42, of Nantucket Drive, Austintown, pleaded guilty to assault of a police officer and attempted aggravated possession of drugs felony, both fourth-degree felonies. White will submit to a background investigation prior to sentencing. The case involved a May 19, 2023, chase with Niles police officers where White reportedly kicked at an officer after being stopped in the area of South Main and McKees Lane in Niles. A search of the vehicle found 3.23 grams of a substance that later tested positive for methamphetamine.
• Alexander Johnson, 21, of Ellsworth Road, North Jackson, pleaded guilty to a third-degree failure to comply with order/signal of police officer felony. Johnson, who faces up to three years in prison and a driver’s license suspension, will submit to a background investigation before sentencing. The case involved a July 18, 2023, police chase that started in the village of Lordstown, and continued into Jackson and Ellsworth townships in Mahoning County, prosecutors said, with speeds reaching 105 mph.

The following case was handled Tuesday before Judge Ronald J. Rice of the Trumbull County Common Pleas Court:

• James L Beatty Jr., 52, Northwest Boulevard, NW, Warren, pleaded guilty to a third-degree failure to comply felony and will submit to a background investigation conducted by probation officers. Beatty was scheduled to begin a jury trial Tuesday but opted to plead guilty. His case involved a high-speed chase early on July 17, 2023, involving a Ford Mustang driven by Beatty in the area of North Leavitt Road and State Road in Champion. Speeds reached 95 mph, according to reports from authorities in Warren and Champion. Beatty faces as much as three years in prison plus a possible driver’s license suspension.