Newton Falls Police Chief John Kuivila says good cooperation between the Newton Falls School District and the department, helped diffuse a potentially dangerous situation.
Police say they arrested two adults, both 18 and both students at Newton Falls High School, on charges of aggravated burglary and theft. Derrin Lough, Tim Bates, and a juvenile, are believed to have stolen guns from Bates' father's home in an effort to retaliate against a drive by shooting that happened Tuesday.
Rumors about a possible retaliation started surfacing in the high school Wednesday afternoon. "Our students began hearing rumors, and they confide in us," said Newton Falls Schools Superintendent Dave Wilson. "We follow up on every lead." As soon as police received the information from the school, they began to investigate and were able to arrest Lough and Bates. "This was an ongoing feud with teens from Warren City, some sort of turf battle with Newton Falls kids," Kuivila said.
The sheriff's department is continuing to investigate the drive-by shooting Tuesday, that happened on Maple Street. Several homes in the East River Gardens development were hit, including Ted Allen's. He said the bullet went right through his son's bedroom. "The bullet just missed him," Allen said. "It could have hit the bedroom where my oxygen tank is, and we would have blown up. Thank God, everything turned out OK."
The sheriff's department is also investigating a drive-by shooting that happened on Scott Street in Newton Township Wednesday evening. A 21-year-old man was shot in the leg. Police are not sure if it is related to the other incidents.
