Top Dayton Area Local News Stories
Source: MedleyStory
School officials in Mechanicsburg said they need to cut $750,000 from its budget.
Officials said teachers, bus routes and classes are all on the chopping block.
The school said the cuts could include 15 teaching positions and could include Spanish, art and music.
The district said the cuts mean few classes for students, a reduction in bus routes and a pay to play feed for student athletes.
Officials said they are blaming a lack of state funding and a decrease in income tax revenue.
Right now, school officials said they do not plan to put a levy on the ballot.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:13:02 -0500
A Dayton man was convicted on Tuesday of child pornography charges after he allegedly participated in an online message bulletin board for men around the globe with a sexual interest in young boys that required users to routinely post images of child porn.
Billy Wade Carroll, 51, was found guilty in U.S. District Court in Riverside, Calif., of one count of conspiracy to advertise, solicit, transport, distribute, receive and possess child pornography and one count of committing a child pornography offense while being required to register as a sex offender in Ohio, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Federal authorities charged Carroll after he participated in an online message board called Lost Boy, which was for men who have a sexual interest in young boys, according to a federal indictment in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
Lost Boy required members to post images of child porn on the message board routinely to avoid being removed from the online group, authorities said.
The online message board was a digital method for the exchange of child porn images and videos, and members shared information on how to evade detection by police agencies by using screen names and encrypting computer data.
Some members sought solicitations for the production of child porn.
Between September 2007 and January 2009, Carroll posted more than 100 messages on the board, including images of child porn for other members to download. He also posted requests on the board in search of specific types of images to supplement his collection of child porn.
The message board was discovered by investigators in Europe who provided U.S. authorities with information about a North Hollywood, Calif., man who was communicating with an Italian resident about child porn and how to engage in child sex tourism in Romania, according to the justice department.
The FBI executed search warrants that led to the discovery of the Lost Boy board, which had 35 members, including 16 in America. Federal authorities charged 16 members of the bulletin board, including Carroll, and also six other people who allegedly molested children. Authorities said they identified 27 children around the country who were vicitms of child use through the investigation.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:39:56 -0500
When detected and treated in the earliest stage, colon cancer patients have a 90 percent chance of survival. Digestive Endoscopy Center is participating in a national effort to screen 1,000 first-time patients for colon cancer during National Colon Cancer Screening Day on Thursday, March 8.
Aligned with Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, the campaign hopes to motivate first-time patients to complete or schedule a colonoscopy on March 8. For those 50 years of age and older (45 years of age and older for African Americans) or for those who have a family history of polyps or colon cancer – there is no better test, no better time to help in the fight against cancer.
“Almost 40 percent of Americans at risk for colon cancer are not getting screened,” said Dr. Jit of Digestive Endoscopy Center. “By designating a national screening day, we hope to raise awareness among first-time patients and break down the barriers associated with the procedure. It’s an easy call to make and the message is clear; a colonoscopy can save your life.”
Colonoscopy is the most effective method of screening for colon cancer. During the procedure, precancerous polyps can be detected and removed before they develop into cancer, making a colonoscopy the only test that allows both diagnosis and treatment at the same time. Colonoscopy can also find cancer at its earliest stage, when treatment works best.
For more information and to schedule a colonoscopy, visit www.StopColonCancerNow.com
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:08:16 -0500
After two days on the job, a Springfield woman was accused of stealing from the cash register, police said.
According to officers, Jessica Conwell told customers at the Super 8 Motel that the credit card machine was broken, so they would have to pay cash for their rooms.
Instead of putting the cash in the register, she put the money in her pocket, police said.
The manager of the motel said she caught on the Conwell's scheme right away.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:51:17 -0500
Police said they arrested a man with a sexually transmitted disease after he confessed to having sex with at least three teenagers.
Christopher Atchison, 37, of Springfield, was arrested Thursday morning. Police said Atchison may have more victims and are continuing to investigate.
According to police, he admitted to having sex with a 14-year-old, 15-year-old, and 16-year-old after befriending their families and getting closer to them.
Police said he was "grooming them to have sex with them."
Atchison will be arraigned in Judge Nevius' courtroom Friday.
Police said Atchison cleaned houses for landlords before they rented them out and said he would apparently invite the teens over and have sex with them.
Atchison faces four felonies counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:36:43 -0500
Christopher Lebaroff, age 19, of Springfield was arrested Wednesday in connection to graffiti found in multiple locations.
On Thursday, he was arraigned in court, where he admitted to spraying graffiti at Curves at South Burnett, the former Community Hospital on East High Street and the Columbus Gas Building at 120 Fosteria, authorities said.
Lebaroff pleaded guilty to three counts of criminal mischief. He told police that some of the graffiti wasn't his, but the majority was.
Lebaroff apologized in court. He will be sentenced next Wednesday.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:31:25 -0500
A semi tractor-trailer crashed into a pole behind an Odd Lots in the 6580 block of Brandt Pike Thursday afternoon, knocking out power to more than 80 people and causing multiple transformers to leak oil.
Multiple transformers came down with the pole -- either two or three -- each containing 50 gallons of cooling oil, according to Mark Ashworth, Huber Heights fire chief. The transformers are older, and crews are checking to see if the oil contains polychlorinated biphenyl, a toxic chemical outlawed years ago.
Some of the oil did make it to a storm drain and into a local creek off Chambersburg Road, Ashworth said. Crews are on scene capturing the oil that has leaked into the creek.
HAZMAT and the Environmental Protection Agency out of Cincinnati have been called to the scene, according to reports.
Ashworth said the environmental impact will be minimal because of the quick response.
Power is restored to all but one person, according to Dayton Power and Light, said DP&L spokesperson Debbie Carrity.
Carrity said it's only a small amount of oil, and the company does not anticipate any issues other than cleaning it up.
@11:40 a.m.: according to Mark Ashworth, fire chief, Huber heightsA semi was making a delivery to the odd lots, pulled too close to the pole and took it out. Took out power to the complex.Had 3 tramsformers come down with it. 50 gallons of cooling oil inside of each. Dp&l is on scene and taking samples, they don’t know if oil contains PCB or not. some of the oil did make it to a storm drain, does make it to a local creek off chambersburg. Have crews over there and capturing whats in there now.The impact will be minimal because we responded relatively quick.No problems with residcentsEssentially just oil in creek. Transformers generate quite a bit of heat, and the oil is meant to keep the transformers cool. Pcb is an oil used in oils, actually .. essentially outlawed by epa. call came in at 9:21. Pcbs have an environmental impact. That’s our biggest concern. Trying not to step in the water. We don’t know whats in this oil and taking the safest approach to make sure the impact is minimal.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:46:31 -0500
Police said they are looking for several men in a bank robbery this morning who abducted a bank employee and held her family hostage overnight.
According to Dayton police Sgt. Moises Perez, an employee of the US Bank at 2350 Gettysburg Ave. was rushed by three armed men as she was leaving work at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. The bank employee, her husband and two children, ages 27 and 16, were held hostage overnight at their home on Vancouver Drive, he said.
One of the suspects came back to the bank with the employee this morning, stood outside the door and forced her to go inside and ask the bank manager for money, Perez said. After the suspect was handed the money, he ran toward Greenwich Village.
A SWAT team cleared the Vancouver Drive residence for suspects and are checking for evidence, he said. Two cars in the parking lot, a PT Cruiser and a truck, owned by the employee and her husband, are also being checked for evidence, Perez said.
The kidnapped employee is not a manager and did not have keys to the bank, he said.
The investigation will be complicated, and all possibilities will be looked at, including if it was an inside job, Perez said. He said there are no indications the employee was involved in the robbery or knows the suspects.
The employee is physically okay, but emotionally distraught, he said. All the victims are being interviewed by police.
One of the men was described as being thin, 5 feet 5 inches, and wearing a black or blue ski cap over his face.
According to police, another robber had a nylon-like bag with white stripes that says "Adidas" on the back, containing cash.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 08:19:12 -0500
A new Hot Head Burritos restaurant has opened at 1171 E. Dayton-Yellow Springs Road.
It is the Kettering-based chain’s 13th location in the Dayton area and 25th overall in Ohio, Kentucky and Pennsylvania. The new Fairborn location seats 45 and opened last week with 28 employees, according to the restaurant’s assistant manager, Josh Whitaker.
This is the first restaurant for the Fairborn store’s franchise owner, Kevin Foley, who has been a Huber Heights firefighter for 32 years. Foley said he’d like to open more Hot Head locations elsewhere in Ohio.
Hot Head co-founder Ray Wiley said another new Hot Head will open in about two weeks at 2369 Dayton Pike in Germantown. And Wiley signed a lease just this week to open another new Hot Head at 5662 Springboro Pike in Moraine, perhaps as soon as May.
A new location in Eaton is about four weeks away from opening, and plans call for opening new restaurants in Springfield, Kettering, Springboro and Sidney before the end of 2012.
The Hot Head chain, founded in 2007, is on track to double this year from 25 to 50 locations, Wiley said. Hot Head will soon open its first location in Indiana, its fourth state, and is working on agreements that will bring its restaurants to Texas, Florida, Alabama, Michigan, North Carolina and Tennessee.
The Hot Head menu includes burritos, quesadillas and tacos with a wide variety of meat, sauce and toppings options. The restaurants offer a kids’ menu and catering.
The newest Hot Head in Fairborn is located south of I-675 in front of a Kroger store. Its hours are 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.
For more information call (937) 878-8226.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 07:27:55 -0500
A two-car crash near the intersection of Wagner Ford Road and Needmore Road sent a pregant woman to a local hospital Thursday morning.
The crash happened when the two cars collided around 5:45 a.m. One car ended up crashing into a pole, police said.
According to officers, neither driver will be cited in the crash, because both drivers claimed they had green lights, and there were no independent witnesses.
None of the injuries in the crash are considered serious.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 07:17:54 -0500
Two vehicles collided near the intersection of Philadelphia Drive and Salem Avenue, sending one woman to the hospital.
Police said a car travelling south on Philadelphia Drive ran a red light and struck a car on eastbound Salem Avenue.
The eastbound car wound up into a pole.
The female driver was transported to Miami Valley Hospital. The extent of her injuries are not known at this time.
Published: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 05:07:00 -0500
Two men are in jail after a home invasion where a man was beaten with a hammer.
Sgt. William Dulaney told News Center 7 the victim "was beaten fairly seriously."
Officers from multiple jurisdictions swarmed the rural neighborhood on late Wednesday night. According to police, the men had already pulled things out of a barn from behind a garage of a home on Holmes Drive when the homeowner came across them in his garage.
"The male had come outside to smoke a cigarette and he was caught outside before they actually made entry to the house," Dulaney said.
Police said the men attacked the resident and inflicted serious facial injuries. Officers used K-9 dogs to track the men down.
The attackers managed to slip away but they were caught a short time later at a home in Fairborn. Police are withholding names pending charges, but Montgomery County Jail records indicate James Cox, 37, was arrested at the Holmes Drive home, and Daniel York, 37, was arrested nearby.
Both face aggravated menacing charges.
Published: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 23:44:45 -0500
A car fire damaged two homes on Oak Leaf Drive in Dayton, said Dayton West District Fire Chief Scott Rowlett said Wednesday night.
When Dayton firefighters arrived, they found a car on fire in the driveway of the home at 196 Oak Leaf Drive and the fire spreading into the home.
The heat from the fire also caused damage to a neighboring vacant home, said Rowlett.
No one was hurt in the fire and the owners of the house were not home at the time of the fire.
The damage to the home is estimated at $20,000 and $7,000 at the vacant house, said Rowlett.
Published: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:04:56 -0500
A white nationalist group that supports Adolf Hitler’s philosophy of National Socialism is planning a meeting in Preble County next month.
Members of the Ohio Chapter of the National Socialist Movement will hold a meet and greet for new members in Eaton on March 24, the movement’s national Chief of Staff, Jason Hiecke, confirmed Wednesday.
He said the event is not a public rally or protest of any kind.
An event listing on the group’s website, nsm88.org, says the event will begin at 11 a.m., but does not give an exact location.
Preble County Sheriff Mike Simpson said he was not aware of the planned event until today.
“If they have a permit, they certainly have a right to meet,” he said.
Eaton Police Chief Chad Depew said the same group held an event on a farm outside of Eaton three years ago where participants burned books.
Eaton resident Angie Willord said she doesn’t approve of the groups message. “I don’t want my kids around that. They have to learn about that. I don’t want them to be around it.”
Hiecke said people need to take the time to get to know the groups political message before they make judgements.
“It’s about putting your nation and your citizens first,” he said.
Published: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:50:14 -0500
The organization called 4 Paws for Ability will be holding a benefit for their service dog program.
It will be held at the Tipp City American Legion Post 586 on North Third Street.
The benefit is scheduled for Tuesday Feb. 21, 2012, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. The public is invited.
Published: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:39:57 -0500
Two people were taken to Miami Valley Hospital after a head on crash in Beavercreek, according to Sgt. Michael Hummel of Beavercreek Police Department.
A truck and a sedan were traveling in opposite directions on Meadow Bridge Drive when they collided, said Hummel. One person from each vehicle was taken to the hospital with injuries that are not considered life-threatening.
None of the drivers have been cited for the collision, said police, and the crash is still under investigation.
Published: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:32:57 -0500
A woman was arrested for alleged prostitution after officers say they caught her in the midst of a sex act for money in a Kmart parking lot.
Brittany Martin, 23, is in the Montgomery County Jail charged with soliciting and loitering to engage, both misdemeanors.
Dayton Police Vice Sgt. John Sullivan said officers were monitoring prostitution activity along the East Third Street corridor Wednesday evening as part of a continuing enforcement related to National Johns Week two weeks ago.
At about 5:30 p.m. officers saw Martin, a known prostitute, wave down a vehicle and get in.
Sullivan said they followed the car to the Kmart parking lot at the corner of Woodman Drive and Burkhardt Avenue.
Officers then observed Martin performing a sex act on the male driver of the vehicle and detained them both, Sullivan said.
He said the male admitted to paying the female.
“We are shifting our focus to the males that are actually creating the demand for prostitutes instead of just arresting prostitutes themselves,” Sullivan said.
The man was issued a court summons according to a vice detective. It is unknown what charges he will face.
Published: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:19:52 -0500
The village of Uniopolis in Auglaize County is about out of money due mainly to state cuts in funding. There are two options, place an operating levy on the ballot, or give the residents an opportunity to vote to dissolve the village status and fall under the township form of government.
The town was established in 1837.
Council wants to hear from the 272 people who live in town. The Mayor is Robert Rolston.
Published: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:00:03 -0500
A program requiring DNA samples from anyone arrested in Ohio for a felony has led to 132 prime suspects in cold cases, the state Attorney General’s office said Wednesday.
Since Senate Bill 77 went into effect in July 1, the Bureau of Criminal Investigation has processed 4,500 DNA samples monthly. One of those samples led to the arrest of Robert Bernardi, who is accused of raping a 14-year-old Englewood girl after crawling into her bedroom through an open window in 2001.
Attorney General Mike DeWine highlighted the case at a press conference Wednesday at the BCI crime lab in London.
Authorities performed a DNA swab on Bernardi when he was arrested July 2, 2011 on an abduction charge in Miami County . He now faces two counts of rape and single counts of aggravated robbery, kidnapping and gross sexual imposition in connection to the Englewood case. He’s being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $1 million bond, according to court records.
To date, 132 people have been arrested in connection to cold cases using the DNA collected upon a felony arrest. The cases include rapes, murders, robberies and burglaries.
The lab is processing 63 percent more DNA, and connects those samples to an average of 127 cases per month, DeWine said .
While the American Civil Liberties Union has raised concerns that the new law infringes on civil liberties because samples are taken before people are convicted of a felony crime, DeWine said the “safety of the community certainly outweighs that arrestee('s)... rights at that moment.”
Had officers had to wait until after a conviction to test the sample, Englewood police Sgt. Mike Lang — lead investigator on the 2001 rape case — said law enforcement may have never “connected the dots.”
“I can unequivocally state that if it had not been for the DNA collection requirements of Senate Bill 77, Bernardi would not have been identified as a suspect,” Lang said.
“This case was a cold case for more than 10 years and a scientific swab cracked the case,” DeWine said.
Collected samples are processed into profiles that are then entered into a state and national database. Combined DNA Index System software, or CODIS, searches for matches among unsolved crimes where DNA has also been collected and entered. Ohio’s database holds 421,584 DNA records and there are more than 10 million in the nationwide database, according to DeWine’s office
A new state bill would further expand law enforcement’s ability to collect DNA samples for the database.
Ohio Senate Bill 268 will allow the genetic material to be collected from those charged with a felony, but not arrested. This includes those summoned to court rather than held in jail. It would also allow the state to retroactively collect DNA from people arrested for a felony prior to July 1, 2011 .
The legislation also stipulates that those whose DNA was taken but were not convicted of the felony can petition judges to seal those records and/or remove the sample from the database.
The Ohio Senate unanimously passed the bill and it is now being considered by the state House of Representatives.
Published: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 20:45:39 -0500
Ohio’s first casino will open in May, state officials announced Wednesday.
The Horeshoe Casino Cleveland has been given the green light by the Ohio Casino Control Commission to open the week of May 14, making it the first of several planned casinos to open after a statewide ballot measure was approved in November of 2009.
Developer Rock Ohio Caesars’ other casino in Cinncinnati isn’t slated to open until spring of 2013.
Horseshoe Cleveland is being developed inside the historic Higbee Building in downtown Cleveland.
The $350 million development has created about 2,000 construction jobs, and the casino began recruiting for 1,600 new casino jobs last fall. After receiving more than 36,000 applications, about 1,300 people are in training or have been hired to date, according to a release from ROC Gaming.
Published: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:39:40 -0500
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