Tunisian immigrant faces 5 years in prison after pleading guilty to vehicular assault

A native of Tunisia who is a legal immigrant to the United States appeared before Judge Cynthia W. Rice of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court on Monday on a felony charge.

Mohamed Mekni, 35, of Mahoning Avenue Northwest, Warren, pleaded guilty to a vehicular assault charge and will undergo a background investigation conducted by probation officers before being sentenced by Judge Rice.

Menki could face a maximum five-year prison term, and the judge ordered the defendant to report the third-degree felony conviction to his immigration attorney.

According to prosecutors, Mekni was involved in a hit-skip crash involving a pedestrian in Lordstown on Aug. 19, 2023. Reports stated Mekni was driving a black Mercedes that left the scene of the crash. The defense attorney said Mekni had called 911 to report the accident. The pedestrian suffered wrist injuries plus other injuries. He could also face a driver’s license suspension between one and five years.

In another case in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court this week, Willie L. Waller Jr., 27, was sentenced to a six-month prison term on Tuesday, April 16 by Judge Ronald J. Rice after pleading guilty to a fifth-degree vandalism felony. The case involved an investigation by Girard police on Nov. 27, 2023 about a man yelling at passing cars.

The man, identified as Waller, was taken into custody and proceeded to damage the inside of the police cruiser while he was being taken to jail, reports stated. The judge ordered Waller to pay $220 in restitution to pay for the damages. Waller’s term will be served consecutively to a 12-month prison term he was sentenced to by Judge Sean O’Brien on March 27, 2024, after he pleaded guilty to a felony count of having weapons while under disability and a misdemeanor OVI. That case originated from Waller’s arrest after a June 13, 2023, incident in Girard, records show.