MedleyStory

School shooting suspect due in court

Thu, 24 May 2012 09:13:03 -0400

A prosecutor in northeast Ohio is ready to argue that a 17-year-old charged in the school shooting deaths of three students should face trial as an adult.

Geauga County Prosecutor David Joyce was scheduled to outline the case against T.J. Lane at a hearing Thursday.

The decision rests with Juvenile Court Judge Timothy Grendell.

Lane could face life in prison if he's tried in adult court and convicted. Minors are not eligible for the death penalty in Ohio.

A psychiatrist has testified Lane suffers from hallucinations, psychosis and fantasies.

Authorities say Lane has admitted taking a pistol to Chardon High School and firing at students sitting at a cafeteria table at the school, which is east of Cleveland. The motive for the Feb. 27 shooting remains unclear.

CareFlight called to crash with entrapment

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:21:19 -0400

Two people have been taken to area hospitals after being trapped in a van for 40 minutes at a crash on Ohio 235 Thursday morning.

A man was taken by Careflight to Miami Valley Hospital and a woman was transported by emergency squad to an unspecified area hospital.

The victims were in a van that had flipped over in front of Park Layne Elementary School, Clark County Sheriff’s Office dispatchers said.

One lane of Ohio 235 has re-opened and traffic is moving slowly.

U.S. Marshals arrest sex crime suspect

Thu, 24 May 2012 07:34:45 -0400

DAYTON -- A man wanted by the Dayton Police Department for the alleged gross sexual imposition of a child under the age of 13 and six counts of sexual battery has been arrested, according to the U.S. Marshals.

Kevin Collins, 31, was arrested by the Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team in Columbus Wednesday, according to a news release.

Collins is believed to have fled the Dayton area after warrants for his arrest were issued March 22. Due to the nature of the alleged crimes committed and the young age of the victims, the case was given the highest priority by the U.S. Marshals led Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team, according to the release. SOFAST was able to located Collins in a Columbus house early Thursday afternoon.

Officers surrounded the house where they believed Collins had been hiding and called for him to exit the home. Collins surrendered to officials.

The arrest comes as SOFAST continues to track down dangerous fugitives.

County aims to tear down historic buildings

Thu, 24 May 2012 06:48:03 -0400

Montgomery County is proposing to tear down an old administration building and several cottages that once housed orphaned children, but one group is says there are alternative options.

The county is scheduled to present the plan for demolition to the city of Dayton next Wednesday, as the county needs permission since the buildings are inside Dayton city limits.

The cottages were used for 45 years to house orphaned children before foster homes were used, according to reports. The county says the structures are unsafe and falling apart with little left to salvage. They say the homes are stripped of wiring, there are holes and animal droppings inside.

But a group known as Preservation Dayton claims there are alternatives available, including federal and state money to make historic renovation feasible. The group wants to convince the city that the county is going down the wrong path.

There is no word on when the city will make their final decision.

Hurricane Bud forms in the Pacific off Mexico

Thu, 24 May 2012 03:04:33 -0400

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Bud has formed off the southwestern coast of Mexico.

The Miami-based agency said early Thursday the storm was packing sustained winds of 75 mph and was located in the Pacific Ocean about 385 miles southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico.

Wind and storm conditions are expected to reach the southwestern coast of Mexico by late Friday.

Mexico had issued the tropical storm watch on Wednesday night along the Pacific coast from Punta San Telmo to La Fortuna.

Pony wandering in Huber is returned home

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:33:05 -0400

A miniature white pony found wandering in Huber Heights on Wednesday night was returned home safely when her family came to get her from the front yard on Kitridge Road, where she had been tied to a tree after being corralled.

It seemed the the little horse had made it about five miles -- taking sidewalks, front yards and crossing Brandt Pike at some point -- before she was stopped. Lexi Dossek, one of the owners, told News Center 7 she believes a hunger for grass led Princess the miniature horse to wander.

Dossek, her family and friends retrieved Princess and walked her back home, across Brandt Pike, to their spread in Huber Heights,
where Lexi said there were chickens and a duck as well.

Tipp City police returning former controller to face theft

Wed, 23 May 2012 21:34:34 -0400

Tipp City police said a former controller for a Tipp City industry will be returning to Miami County from Venice, Florida in handcuffs.

40-year-old Michael Wion was arrested Wednesday and is being returned to Miami County to answer to the charge.

Sgt Chris Graham said, "Wion is accused of stealing $466,000 from Repacorp Corporation in Tipp City."

Other arrests are possible, noted Graham, as the investigation continues.

Wion will be flying back to Dayton under the escort of Sgt. Graham as early as Thursday.

Troy Kroger employee saves customer from scam

Wed, 23 May 2012 19:55:49 -0400

A five-year employee of the Kroger Store in Troy was honored Wednesday morning for her efforts to prevent a grandmother from being scammed thousands of dollars.

She was attempting to send the bail money by Western Union to her grandson who claimed he was in jail and needed the money to get out.

Bobbie Harvey said it took her thirty minutes to convince the "garndma" her grandson was fine and she was about to get scammed.

AG Mike Dewine was there to present Harvey with a Certificate of Service. DeWine said that scam happenes here in Ohio daily.

'Look at the size of them strawberries'

Wed, 23 May 2012 19:41:18 -0400

You can image what the motorists along West Main Street in dowtown Troy said to themselves Wednesday morning as they drove among dozens of freshly painted three foot strawberries.

"Look at the size of them strawberries," they probably said.

The festival is downtown Troy this year due to the replacement of a bridge at the river levee. Also there will be no Strawberry Festival parade in downtown Troy this year.

The next big event is coloring the water at the downtown fountain red.

2 fires in Fairborn called suspicious

Wed, 23 May 2012 19:34:08 -0400

Fire crews from several jurisdictions helped Fairborn battle two fires Wednesday evening that were minutes apart. Both have been listed as suspicious.

Fairborn crews were dispatched at about 6:25 p.m. to 132 Circle Drive, a single-family residence that a fire lieutenant said was vacant but appeared to have been in the process of being renovated.

The lieutenant listed the cause as suspicious and said the fire was contained to the kitchen area.

At about 6:40 p.m., crews were dispatched to 589 Sports St. for a fire at the former Green Acres Swim Club.

Passers-by saw flame and smoke showing from the roof of the structure, which Fairborn Battalion Fire Chief David Reichert said has been abandoned approximately 10 years.

Kristine Livingston of Fairborn wasn’t a passer-by, but she was across the street in Cemex Park watching her children play baseball when she and others noticed the former club.

"We saw smoke," she told News Center 7. "We saw one jet of fire come out really high for five to 10 minutes."

The fire at the former club was listed as suspicious and the cause listed as undetermined until the state fire marshal sends an investigator from Columbus, Reichert said. “With the building being vacant, we did not send anybody inside.”

"We were already on scene of another working fire at the time that this one came in on Circle,” Reichert said. “We had quite a few crews tied up over there. We much appreciate the help from Wright-Pat and Huber Heights in working this fire."

Crews from Enon as well as Huber Heights and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base were called in for mutual aid because Fairborn crews were busy on Circle Drive.

Tight economic times make automatic aid agreements critical, Reichert said.

Man accused of stealing $7K Rolex watch

Wed, 23 May 2012 18:10:08 -0400

Police are looking for a man who walked out of a jewelry store this month with a men’s Rolex watch that retails for at least $7,500.

A male black believed to be 35 to 45 years old, 6-feet tall to 6-feet-2 inches tall and approximately 210 to 225 pounds, walked into the Fair Exchange Jewelry store, 43 S. Main St., on May 2 and walked out with the watch, Centerville police said.

Surveillance video shows that he got into a four-door sedan and drove off.

Gray and Sons, a wholesale jeweler in Surfside, Fla., that deals in Rolex watches, estimates that a timepiece of the description put out by Centerville police retails for $7,500.

The same or similar watch is listed on Amazon.com for $959.

Centerville police are asking that if you can identify the subject or the car in surveillance photos, or if you have information about this case, please contact Detective Nadia Dexter at (937) 428-4705.

Mother intends to admit to faking funeral

Wed, 23 May 2012 17:27:42 -0400

A woman admitted she faked her daughter's funeral to steal from members of a church.

Angela Boyd intends to plead guilty in a Wayne County court to one count of attempted theft and three counts of theft, according to court documents filed May 17.

Pastor Ronald Chappell, New Life Church of the Nazarene, said the mother read a note at the funeral.

Boyd claimed that her younger daughter was raped and killed in Iowa by her father. Her brother, Brian Lemaster, didn't believe the story. In the middle of the service he approached the podium and confronted Boyd in front of all the church members.

Boyd could go to prison for as much as 12 years, according to court documents. The sentencing date has not been set.

Man hit by RTA bus in downtown Dayton

Wed, 23 May 2012 17:27:21 -0400

A man was taken to a hospital Wednesday afternoon after he was hit by an RTA bus at or near Fourth and Main Streets downtown.

Police and medics were dispatched to the area just before 5 p.m. on a report that a pedestrian had been hit by a bus. Witnesses told News Center 7 that the man, whose name and age were not immediately known, was talking when the bus rounded the corner and knocked him off his bicycle.

Witnesses also said the man did not appear to be seriously injured. His condition was not immediately available.

Teen in jail, accused of raping 13-year-old

Wed, 23 May 2012 17:24:29 -0400

An 18-year-old Clayton male is in jail pending a formal charge of rape in the alleged assault of a 13-year-old girl.

According to Clayton Police Chief Richard Rose, the girl was visiting a friend at an apartment complex on Woolery Lane when the accused, Davion L. Carlton, came over to play video games. Rose said the two teens know each other.

The alleged rape occurred overnight Monday and was reported to police on Tuesday, when the girl returned home and told her parents.

Police arrested Carlton at 10:20 p.m. Tuesday. He has not been formally charged, but is being detained in the Montgomery County Jail without bond.

Carlton does not have any prior arrests as an adult, according to court records.

OSP: Mom driving drunk with infant in car

Wed, 23 May 2012 15:57:37 -0400

A mother accused of driving drunk with her infant and another child in the car is in the Montgomery County Jail on $5,000 bond.

Tequana Graham, 23, was pulled over by the Ohio Highway Patrol on North Gettysburg Avenue near the intersection of James H. McGee Boulevard at about 10:15 p.m. Tuesday. According to Sgt. Steve Duteil of the Dayton post, she was stopped for several lane violations and having only one working headlight.

Graham’s 7-month-old child was in the car, along with another female and that woman’s 2-year-old daughter. Both adults were intoxicated, according to the incident report.

Graham told the trooper that she felt she didn't have a problem driving with the children in the car because she had taken a nap, according to Duteil.

A Breathalyzer test was administered and Graham’s blood alcohol content registered at .151, nearly twice the legal limit in Ohio (.08).

Duteil said both children were properly secured in child seats.

The patrol is conducting a joint enforcement in west Dayton in conjunction with Dayton police and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office to curb drunk driving and other criminal offenses.

Driver seriously injured in Xenia crash

Wed, 23 May 2012 15:35:51 -0400

The driver of a sport utility vehicle suffered serious injuries in a crash in the 700 block of Home Avenue on Wednesday afternoon.

The crash at 709 Home Ave. in Xenia was reported shortly before 3 p.m. An SUV was down in a ravine there after apparently losing control and going off the road, according to the Greene County emergency dispatch center.

Preliminary reports indicated that CareFlight responded to the scene and took one person to Miami Valley Hospital. In addition, a child may have also been injured in the crash and transported to Dayton Children's Medical Center, according to preliminary reports.

2 area sex offenders captured in Ky., Ga.

Wed, 23 May 2012 15:25:01 -0400

A homeless sex offender wanted for failing to register in Clark County has been located in Kentucky, the Clark County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday.

The sheriff’s office got word Wednesday morning that Justin Lee Scott, 31, was taken into custody by Fayette County sheriff’s deputies in Lexington. He is awaiting an extradition hearing to be brought back to Ohio.

On Tuesday, the Clark County Sheriff's Office received notification from the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office in Cumming, Ga., that they also had a locally registered sex offender in custody. That suspect, 37-year-old Johnny Taylor, had previously failed to register in Clark County and warrants had been issued for his arrest.

Clark County deputies have been working with Georgia authorities to track Taylor after receiving a tip that he was in that state. Arrangements are also being made to have Taylor returned to Springfield to answer to charges.

The Ohio Attorney General's Office has made grant money available to local jurisdictions that is specifically earmarked for the extradition of fugitive sex offenders that have fled the state.

Sex offender accused in child sex case again

Wed, 23 May 2012 15:20:43 -0400

A registered sex offender, living in Troy, is in trouble with the law again, police said.

Brent Long, 20, was arrested by Troy police on a charge of unlawful sexual contact with a minor.

In the latest case, police said, the victim was a 15-year-old girl.

Long is being held in the Miami County Jail on a $500,000 bond. He was arrested early Wednesday morning.

Cause of garage fire deemed suspicious

Wed, 23 May 2012 12:24:06 -0400

Fire officials are investigating a suspicious fire that occurred late this morning at a vacant property on Dayton's west side.

Dayton fire crews responded around 11:30 a.m. to a vacant home in the 1900 block of West Grand Avenue. There crews found the garage behind the vacant house completely engulfed in flames.

People reported seeing smoke from the blaze from Interstate I-75 and elsewhere in the city.

At 12:20 p.m., fire investigators were at the scene looking into the cause, which is suspicious, fire officials said.

Arrest made in fatal Dayton shooting

Wed, 23 May 2012 12:20:10 -0400

Police said they have captured a woman who is wanted in connection with a fatal shooting that happened early Monday morning on Genesee Avenue.

Linda Rocia Kay, also known as L.K., a 22-year-old black woman, was arrested and taken into the safety building for questioning today.

Kay is accused of killing 34-year-old Robert Munday. Police said they are unaware of a motive in the shooting.

Police said earlier this week a male is described as thin, black, and about 5 feet 7 inches tall was also wanted in connection to the shooting. He was described as wearing all black clothing with an Afro-style haircut.

Kay was picked up by Riverside Police Wednesday morning, according to reports.

Puppies found in suitcase get new homes

Wed, 23 May 2012 10:35:14 -0400

Six bulldog-mix puppies found in a suitcase next to a trash bin in Ohio now have new homes.

Winners of a lottery to adopt the puppies and their mother picked them up at an animal shelter near Toledo on Tuesday.

The Blade newspaper in Toledo reports that one family chosen to adopt the dogs drove two hours from the Cleveland area to pick out their new pup.

The Toledo Area Humane Society received 132 applications from people wanting to enter a lottery it held to adopt the puppies.

The man accused of abandoning the puppies last month in a Toledo alley has pleaded no contest to abandoning animals and cruelty to animals.

Local Starbucks shops close abruptly

Wed, 23 May 2012 10:08:34 -0400

Several Starbucks stores in the Dayton area, and apparently elsewhere in the country, shut down abruptly this morning for unknown reasons.

Customers who headed to the Starbucks shop on Far Hills Avenue in Oakwood encountered locked doors and a sign saying the store was closed “for routine maintenance,” but those same customers noted there was nothing routine about being closed at 9 a.m. on a Wednesday. An employee said store managers were told to close down the store at about 7:30 a.m. this morning and wait for further instructions. Customers said stores on Brown Street and Mad River Road also were closed.

Posts on Starbucks’ Facebook page questioned why stores were closed in Ohio and Florida. There was no immediate response from Starbucks officials.

“This is the second time I’ve come by this morning,” Kristin Milligan of Kettering said at 9 a.m. outside the Oakwood Starbucks. “I was here an hour ago and the store was closed. I need my Starbucks.”

Daniel Gaines of Oakwood appeared stunned by the locked doors and the “closed” sign when he came for coffee, pound cake and to sit and do some work. “I’ll probably go to a competitor’s shop for some coffee and then go home,” Gaines said.

High court in Ohio upholds state smoking ban

Wed, 23 May 2012 09:51:31 -0400

The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that a statewide smoking ban is constitutional.

In a unanimous decision Wednesday, justices rejected claims by a Columbus tavern owner that argued the fines it was charged for violations were an illegal taking of property, violating the state's legitimate police powers.

Zeno's Victorian Village had been cited 10 different times between July 2007 and September 2009. The bar argued the smoking ban should have been enforced against smokers, not businesses.

Justices said there was evidence that the bar tacitly allowed smoking and had plastic cups partially filled with water that were placed around the bar as ash trays. They further noted the bar had access to an appeals process and did not take advantage of it eight of 10 times.

1 of 3 gets $1M bond in home invasion

Wed, 23 May 2012 09:40:29 -0400

A woman, who is one of three accused in connection with a home invasion, appeared in court on Wednesday and received a $1 million bond on six charges.

The home invasion happened on Feb. 25 when a man knocked on the door of a Dutton Road home near Mendon. Kathy Fair, 47, answered the door and three armed suspects forced their way inside. The suspects, a man and two men, attempted to tie up Kathy Fair and her father, William Fair, 79, with duct tape, but the victims struggled.

Mercer County deputies said they arrested Patricia Ann Abrams, 32, of Batavia, Joshua M. Moreo, 31, of Spencerville, Ind., and Michael E. Davis, 30, of Cincinnati.

Abrams was arrested May 16 and was indicted by a Mercer County grand jury last week on charges of aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, theft, complicity to aggravated burglary, complicity to aggravated robbery and complicity to theft.

Moreo was arrested on an unrelated warrant out of Allen County May 16, and charges related to the home invasion are expected to be filed soon. Davis is being held in Clermont County Jail awaiting formal charges.

According to deputies, Moreo, who was armed with a gun, and Davis, armed with a knife, forced their way in and attempted to tie up the victims. Abrams eventually entered the house and assisted in the robbery.

The suspects left the scene in a 1997 Mercury Villager van, which has since been located and impounded, deputies said.

Mercer County Sheriff Sheriff Jeff Grey said, "This is how it's supposed to work between a state agency that has more resources and some expertise and local law enforcement between mercer county and van wert countys our knowledge of the area. this is how it's suppose to work. If a collaboration like this could happen on every crime, I think more crimes would be solved."

According to deputies, they do not believe at this time the home invasion is related to the Grube double homicide that happened in Fort Recovery last November.

Robert and Colleen Grube were killed in late November, bound with duct tape and shot, following what appeared to be a robbery of the farmhouse in Fort Recovery where they lived. According to reports, Colleen, 47, lived there and took care of Robert, 70, who was disabled.

Injuries reported in two-vehicle crash

Wed, 23 May 2012 08:24:01 -0400

Emergency crews responded to a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Woodman Avenue and Stroop Road in Kettering Wednesday morning.

The crash was reported around 7:40 a.m., according to reports. Several lanes of traffic were blocked as emergency crews worked to clean up the crash.

Injuries were reported, although it's unknown if anyone was taken to the hospital.