The Criminal Division is responsible for the prosecution of all serious adult offenders in the Mahoning County Common Pleas Court. In general, felony offenses are crimes that carry a potential prison sentence. Those crimes include high-value theft, possession of illicit drugs with a high potential for abuse, drug trafficking, domestic violence, robbery, burglary, rape, human trafficking, and murder. Felony cases are initiated by presentation to a grand jury. If the grand jury finds enough evidence to indict, an assistant prosecutor handles the case through arraignment, pretrial hearings, plea, trial, and sentencing. Except for murder (an “unclassified” felony), the seriousness of felony offenses is denoted by degrees. For example, a felony of the 1st degree is a more serious felony offense, while a felony of the 5th degree is less serious. More serious felony offenses carry the possibility of longer prison sentences. Criminal Division prosecutors continue to represent the State of Ohio in many post-conviction hearings, such as appeal, probation revocation, and judicial release. Assistant prosecutors are also called upon to assist various law enforcement agencies in criminal investigations.
The United States and Ohio Constitutions require that all felony cases be presented to the Grand Jury for a determination of whether there is probable cause to believe that a crime has been committed and that the accused is the person who committed that crime. The Mahoning County Grand Jury meets once per week, and grand jurors serve for a period of four months. An assistant prosecutor presents cases for the Grand Jury’s consideration. Generally, each case is presented through the testimony of the investigating officer, but victims and other witnesses may also be called to testify. The grand jurors listen to the testimony, review the law, and then vote on whether or not to return an indictment against the accused. At least seven of nine grand jurors must vote in favor of a charge before it can be included in an indictment.
Grand Jury report week of 4/14/2025:
The VAWA Unit is funded through a grant program administered by the Office of Criminal Justice Services. The purpose of this unit is to vertically prosecute crimes against women and children, including sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, and dating violence. Through vertical prosecution, assistant prosecutors assigned to VAWA handle cases from start to finish by consulting with law enforcement during investigations, presenting cases to the Grand Jury, and appearing in court at pre-trial hearings, plea hearings, trials, and sentencing hearings. VAWA prosecutors devote all of their professional time to this docket and are very knowledgeable about the unique challenges of such cases. VAWA often prosecutes crimes against victims who are reluctant to report sexual or physical abuse and are fearful of their abusers. Victims may be related to their abusers, and many victims in these cases are children. In addition to assisting victims through the criminal justice process, VAWA prosecutors present juries with medical and forensic evidence, correspond with social workers working with victims, and provide training for law enforcement regarding cases of sexual assault and domestic abuse.
Caitlyn Andrews has been employed at the Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office since 2019. She is assigned to the VAWA Unit, where she handles cases involving sexual assault and violence against women and children.
Assistant Prosecutor Ausnehmer is a 1976 graduate of The Ohio State University. Before entering law school, he worked in maximum security at the State of Ohio mental hospital in Columbus. APA Ausnehmer is a 1980 University of Dayton School of Law graduate. He has been a Mahoning County Assistant Prosecutor assigned to the County Courts since 1987.
Assistant Prosecutor Anthony Carbone was born in Youngstown, graduated law school May of 2023 from Ohio Northern Claude Pettit College of Law. Assistant Prosecutor Carbone spent the first year plus working in the county courts and now have been assigned to Juvenile court.
Patrick Fening has been assigned to Judge Sweeney to handle felony cases and Mental Health Court. APA Fening has been an Assistant Prosecutor with Mahoning County since October 2021.
Kyle Hilles has been an Assistant Prosecutor here since November of 2023. He was previously a legal intern for this office and was lucky enough to be offered a full-time position when he passed the Bar and was admitted to practice. Kyle spends most of my time in Judge Anthony Donofrio’s courtroom, on behalf of the Prosecutor’s office, handling a variety of criminal cases.
Katherine Jones has been an Assistant Prosecutor since May, 2022. Assistant Prosecutor Jones started out in the County Courts where she spent about a year before moving to the Common Pleas Court. In addition to her felony docket, she also handles the prosecution of the animal cruelty cases- something Assistant Prosecutor Jones says she is especially passionate about. Assistant Prosecutor Jones is also proud to serve as the prosecutor assigned to the Veterans Court.
Assistant Prosecutor Weibling graduated from Youngstown State University in 1997, earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She furthered her education at the Cleveland Marshall College of Law, Cleveland State University, earning a Juris Doctor in 2001. In 2001, Assistant Prosecutor Weibling was admitted to the practice of law in the State of Ohio. She has experience in several areas of law including, complex commercial litigation, intellectual property, corporate law, and family law. She is admitted to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. Assistant Prosecutor Weibling commenced her employment as an Assistant Prosecutor with the Office of the Mahoning County Prosecutor in February of 2017.
Attorney Modarelli has been privileged with the honor of serving
the community as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney with the Mahoning County
Prosecutor’s Office for over 25 years. She has dedicated the majority of her career to the pursuit of Juvenile
Justice recognizing the delicate balance addressing children and families in
the pursuit of community safety and justice. She is the only prosecutor in the State of Ohio on the Ohio Supreme Court Juvenile Justice Sub Committee.
Assistant Prosecutor Mark Carfolo is originally from Mahoning County, a 1979 Youngstown Chaney High School graduate. Assistant Prosecutor Carfolo Graduated from Youngstown State University in 1983. He then graduated from The University of Akron, with a Master’s in Political Science, in 1986. Assistant Prosecutor Carfolo attended and completed Law School at the University of Akron, graduating in 1990. He’s been a practicing Attorney for thirty-four years. Assistant Prosecutor Carfolo worked for the Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office from September 1992 to January 1996. Additional employment includes the Summit County Prosecutor’s and Ashtabula County Prosecutor’s offices. In 1998, APA Carfolo joined the Portage County Public Defender’s office, and remained there until March 21, 2025.
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. M-F
21 W Boardman Street
6th Floor
Youngstown, OH 44503
Phone: 330-740-2330
Fax (Criminal): 330-740-2008
Fax (Civil): 330-740-2829
