Owner of convenience store closed by police sues officials

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The store was a site of criminal activity, police said.

YOUNGSTOWN — The owner of an East Side convenience food store that was shut down and padlocked in a police raid three years ago has sued the city and its police department for more than $400,000, saying his perishable merchandise spoiled and had to be discarded because he wasn't allowed back inside the store to retrieve it.

After city officials declared Stiles Supermarket Inc., 1922 McGuffey Road, a public nuisance because of drug sales on and near the premises, city police and state liquor and food stamp agents raided the store and executed a search warrant there Sept. 11, 2003.

Robert Bush, who was then city police chief, said police had made drug buys from the store and recovered a number of guns and drugs there. Police said they received complaints from neighbors about loitering, gunfire and apparent illegal drug sales in the store's parking lot.

The suit was filed Monday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court by Atty. James M. Brutz on behalf of Mohammed A. Haider, market owner. The suit seeks $150,000 in compensation for the lost merchandise, plus three years' interest, $250,000 in punitive damages, and the plaintiff's legal fees.

Law director's response

However, Iris Torres Guglucello, city law director, said that although city officials gave Haider "every opportunity" to retrieve any perishable merchandise from the store, he failed to do so, and that the suit appears to have been filed beyond the two-year time limit for such actions.

She said the city would vigorously defend itself against the suit. "Our position is that there's no merit to this claim," she concluded.

In current telephone and city directories, the store at the McGuffey Road address is listed as the Cilas Super Market. The city directory lists Mohammed Haider as the proprietor.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006