Youngstown Man Charged in Robbery

Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, today announced that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Shane Tisdale, age 37, of Youngstown, Ohio, with one count each of Hobbs Act robbery and aiding and abetting.

The indictment charges that on September 27, 2006, Shane Tisdale did unlawfully obstruct, delay, and affect, and did conspire to obstruct, delay, and affect, commerce and the movement of articles and commodities in such commerce, through robbery by unlawfully taking and obtaining property of Super 8 Motel from an employee who was the possessor of the property, against their will by means of actual and threatened force, violence, and fear of injury to their person and property in their custody and possession.

The indictment was presented to the grand jury by Assistant United States Attorneys Daniel J. Riedl and Christos N. Georgalis after an investigation by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Boardman Police Department.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after a review of factors unique to the case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.