Man arraigned in East Side killing
YOUNGSTOWN — Andre K. Bailey, 40, was arraigned Friday in Youngstown Municipal Court on a murder charge in the shooting death of Reynaldo Hernandez, 24. A Youngstown police report suggests that Hernandez was shot on Bott Street on the East Side.
Officers were called there for a shooting at 6:47 p.m. Oct. 17, according to a Youngstown police report. It does not give details but states that “Upon arrival, the scene was secured, and detectives and YPD crime lab were notified and responded.”
An earlier news release from the coroner’s office stated that Hernandez’s body was found at Liberty Road near Wardle Avenue, and the coroner’s office was notified about it at 8:10 a.m. Oct. 18. Bott Street is close to the intersection of Liberty Road and Wardle Avenue and Mount Hope Veterans Memorial Cemetery.
Bond was set at $1 million for Bailey, and he remained in the Mahoning County jail, charged with murder and tampering with evidence.
A second man charged in connection to the case, Richard Lightner, 40, was arraigned Friday on a charge of tampering with evidence. He also remained in the Mahoning County jail. His bond was set at $150,000, according to Mahoning County jail records.
The new police report states that Bailey and two other men were arrested Thursday in connection to Hernandez’s death, though the two other men were charged only with tampering with evidence, a mid-level felony punishable by about three years in prison if convicted. Bailey’s charges could result in a life prison sentence if convicted.
Bailey was arrested Thursday at his home on Olive Avenue in Craig Beach, according to the Youngstown police report.
Youngstown police officers working with the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitives Task Force went to the home, where another man answered the door and then Bailey was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Youngstown Police Department, where he was turned over to the detectives working on the Hernandez case.
They arrested him on warrants out of Youngstown Municipal Court on the murder and tampering charges.
Likewise, the task force went to a South Main Street address in Austintown on Thursday on a warrant for the arrest of Lightner on the tampering charge out of Youngstown Municipal Court.
As officers arrived, they saw a black Chevrolet Suburban backing out of the driveway with three people inside. Lightner was the front-seat passenger and was taken into custody. He also was taken to the Youngstown Police Department.
Officers also went to a Mill Way address in New Castle, Pa., regarding Daniel Ramsey, 43, of New Castle, having a warrant in Youngstown Municipal Court on a charge of tampering with evidence. Officers made contact with his girlfriend, who said Ramsey was not there. Ramsey then came to the door and was taken into custody.
He was taken to the Lawrence County jail, where he was detained until an extradition hearing is held to bring him back to Ohio.
A fourth man, Shawn Jones, 35, also was arrested Thursday on a charge of tampering with evidence. He also was taken to the Mahoning County jail, and his bond also was set at $150,00, and he also remained in the county jail Friday evening.
Attempts to learn more from the Youngstown police Department on Friday about the tampering charges were not successful.