YOUNGSTOWN — Robert L. Shelton, 44, is expected to be arraigned this afternoon in Youngstown Municipal Court on charges of aggravated murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm in Sunday morning’s triple homicide at the Brothers of Power Classic Car Club on Logan Avenue.

Members of the U.S. Marshals Violent Fugitive Task Force acted on a tip and went Tuesday to an apartment building in the 1400 block of Townsend Drive in Liberty Township and arrested Shelton inside one of the units.

Shelton is accused of shooting to death Dymond D. Ortello, 34, only 30 to 40 feet from two Youngstown police officers who had arrived outside of the club just after the first 911 call at 3:45 a.m. Ortello was one of three men who died, with two others having shot each other inside the club, police said.

Because of the size and movement of the crowd outside of the club, Shelton ran off and got away.

The two others who died are Ortello’s brother, Daniel Ortello, 31, and Charles Pullen, 37. A man and woman were injured by gunfire inside the club but are expected to survive.

Youngstown police Chief Robin Lees said he is pleased Shelton was taken into custody without incident and so quickly.

WOMAN DETAINED

But the marshals “did encounter resistance from the woman who was harboring him,” Lees said. Jasmine Jackson, 24, was taken into custody on a warrant out of Struthers Municipal Court on an unrelated charge.

She lied to marshals when they entered the apartment and asked her about Shelton’s whereabouts. She is in custody “and will be charged accordingly after the prosecutor reviews the circumstances,” the chief said.

“She said he wasn’t there and resisted their efforts to try and check the apartment for him, and eventually they were able to find out she was wanted on a warrant herself,” he said. “Once she was taken out of the apartment, Shelton stepped out of a bedroom and surrendered to the marshals without any resistance.”

Even if Shelton would not have stepped forward, the marshals would have searched the apartment for him, Lees noted.

The U.S. Marshals Service announced earlier Tuesday that it was offering a reward of up to $5,000 to anyone offering information “directly leading to the arrest of Robert Shelton.”

The notice also stated: “Family, friends and associates of Shelton are reminded that providing assistance to Shelton could result in criminal charges.”

LIQUOR LICENSE

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Liquor Control said it has no record of the club having a liquor license or for there being any liquor license for the 1532 Logan Ave. address where it is located.

That address had a liquor license for the first floor and patio earlier when it was known as St. Peter’s Gate Lounge, according to an online Department of Liquor Control database.

Law Director Jeff Limbian said during a Monday news conference that the city is looking into whether the club appeared to have violated any liquor license laws.

“I think there are code violation issues that have come to light,” he said, adding that illegal activities taking place there could ultimately result in the club being closed.

Attempts to call phone numbers associated with the owner of the club were unsuccessful.

ARSON

The Youngstown Fire Department, meanwhile, has ruled that the fire that took place last Thursday at the club was an arson.

Capt. Kurt Wright, fire investigator with the Youngstown Fire Department, however, said he knows of no connection between the fire and Sunday’s shootings.

An accelerant was used to start the 5 a.m. fire in a gutter at the rear of the structure. The gutter is about 4 feet off the ground because of the slope of the hillside behind the club. The fire then continued into the edge of the roof joists and caused some damage in the attic, including smoke damage.

No one saw anything, and the fire department has no leads in who started it, Wright said.

The fire caused “minimal” damage to the structure, and the owner said the organization would make the repairs.

The person who lives in the upstairs apartment noticed the smoke and called 911. He escaped without injury. The building is owned by Taylor Inc. of Liberty Township.

Staff writer Guy Vogrin contributed to this report.