Ohioan appeals conviction of sexually abusing adopted girls

MARYSVILLE, Ohio (AP) — A former Ohio National Guardsman is appealing his conviction of sexually abusing three adopted daughters.

An attorney for the 43-year-old Marysville man argues that the court wrongly denied him funding for an expert witness and that the evidence didn’t support the conviction.

He also is claiming he had ineffective legal counsel.

The appeal says there was no physical evidence, and the child witnesses recanted their accounts at some point.

The man was sentenced to life in prison without parole on charges including rape and sexual battery.

He denied abusing the girls, and his wife testified that she never saw signs of such abuse.

She was sentenced to 18 months in prison for intimidation and obstructing justice.

The Associated Press isn’t naming the couple to protect the children’s identities.

Fire destroys century-old grandstand at Ohio fairgrounds

LANCASTER, Ohio (AP) — A fire has destroyed a century-old grandstand at a fairground in central Ohio.

Police in Lancaster say they are talking with a group of juveniles who were running from the Fairfield County Fairgrounds when firefighters arrived.

The fire broke out early Saturday morning.

Fire officials say the blaze is considered a possible arson because there was no electrical wiring in the grandstand.

The structure built in 1909 burned to the ground and is a total loss.

It was no longer being used after being damaged by winds.

7 overdose deaths reported in Cleveland-area on Saturday

CLEVELAND (AP) — Authorities in the Cleveland-area are issuing warnings after seven people died from overdoses on Saturday.

The outbreak across Cuyahoga County comes after 52 people died from heroin or fentanyl in August.

The county medical examiner says there’s no evidence yet linking the seven deaths on Saturday.

Medical Examiner Thomas Gilson says his office is conducting tests to figure out which drugs were involved in the deadly overdoses.

He says the number clearly raises the possibility of a very deadly drug in the Cleveland area.

The wave of deaths over the weekend follows outbreaks of overdoses in Akron and Cincinnati involving the animal sedative carfentanil.

Ohio man says he’s thankful would-be hit man went to police

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio man who authorities say was the target of a murder-for-hire scheme set up by his estranged wife says he’s thankful the would-be hit man tipped off police.

Christian Carter of Middletown said Saturday that he’ll be forever grateful that the man went to police.

Middletown police say Shelly Carter is charged with three counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated murder because her children also were potential targets. A judge on Friday set a $750,000 bond for Carter.

The 42-year-old woman told the judge she’s trying to hire an attorney.

Police allege Carter paid someone $500 to kill her husband and promised another $500 and a car when the job was finished.

Ohio nuclear plant operating after nearly 2 week shutdown

OAK HARBOR, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio nuclear plant along Lake Erie is operating again after a nearly two-week shutdown.

The Davis-Besse plant east of Toledo had been shut down since Sept. 10 after rainwater entered its turbine building.

Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp. says it restarted the plant’s reactor Thursday after repairing the plant’s electrical controls.

A company spokeswoman says the rainwater prompted its turbine generator to automatically shut down.

The company found that a roof vent in the building hadn’t fully closed and that the water damaged electrical controls.