Ohio News Briefs

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Court: Juveniles must wait to appeal transfer to adult court

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that juveniles who are tried as adults must wait until their case has ended to challenge their transfer to adult court.

The court said Thursday that the mere passage of time is not enough to determine whether a defendant lost a chance for a positive outcome by remaining in the juvenile court system.

At issue is a 2014 Montgomery County case involving a 17-year-old boy charged as an adult with two counts of robbery.

Court documents say the teen attacked two homeless men from behind and stole their valuables as part of a “knockout” game.

The Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling rejecting the defendant’s arguments that he should have been allowed to appeal his transfer to adult court immediately.

Ex-school leader elected to board still banned from district

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — A school board in Ohio is moving its meetings because one of its new members is banned from going onto the district’s property.

Board members in Toledo’s Washington Local district decided Wednesday not to lift the ban against former superintendent Patrick Hickey.

Hickey was elected to the board in November. He had resigned as superintendent in 2015 before the school board could consider a resolution to fire him. He later was banned after an altercation at the school.

The district had been investigating Hickey’s failure to tell school leaders he’d been accused of inappropriate relationships with students in Michigan decades ago.

Hickey has denied those allegations.

The Blade reports that at Wednesday’s board meeting one of Hickey’s former students in Michigan said he “groomed me sexually.”

Hickey declined to comment.

11,000 nurses get incorrect email about their licenses

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Officials in Ohio say an auto-generated email mistakenly informed 11,000 nurses in Ohio that their licenses weren’t recognized by the state.

The Columbus Dispatch reports more than two-thirds of Ohio’s 16,760 advanced-practice registered nurses received the incorrect message New Year’s Day. The email was generated by the state Department of Administrative Services through Ohio’s eLicense system. Administrative Services spokesman Tom Hoyt says the cause of the error is unclear.

The Ohio Board of Nursing emailed all APRNs about the mistake immediately after the error was discovered. Officials later updated the board website with a notification.

State law now requires APRNs become licensed. Nurses are required to renew their licenses every other year.

Businessman to be deported to Jordan after 38 years in US

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP) — A businessman who lived in the U.S. for 38 years will be deported back to his native Jordan Sunday.

Amer Othman will depart Youngstown with his wife, leaving his four adult daughters behind, according to The (Youngstown) Vindicator. The 57-year-old known as Al Adi said he still believes he belongs in the U.S.

“This is my town and my country, and I am a U.S. citizen even though Trump says no,” Othman said.

He came to the U.S. when he was 19 and obtained his green card through his first wife. Othman’s application for a second green card was denied in the 1990s when officials claimed his first marriage was fraudulent.

However, a court affidavit shows his ex-wife claimed she signed the original statement claiming a fraudulent marriage under duress when Immigration and Naturalization Service officials came to her home.

Othman continued to fight for a green card, and Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan attempted to prevent the man’s deportation through a private bill. That attempt failed after President Donald Trump’s administration decided deportations could no longer be delayed due to a private bill.

Othman opened a deli in the city in 2011 and a hookah bar in 2015. Democratic Mayor Jamael “Tito” Brown called Othman’s deportation a loss for the city, saying he was a “pioneer for the downtown renaissance.”

Othman said a manager will run his businesses while he is away.

Ryan said Othman’s deportation speaks to a larger need for immigration reform.

“(His business) contributed to the comeback of downtown Youngstown,” Ryan told the newspaper. “And that’s not even being recognized now.”

Othman says he has no criminal record.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement acknowledged Othman’s lengthy immigration case in a statement to The Vindicator. ICE officials said courts have “uniformly held” that Othman has no legal basis to remain in the country.

Ohio officer says felt ‘imminent threat’ in Walmart shooting

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — A southwest Ohio police officer who fatally shot a black man in a Walmart store says he believed he faced an “imminent threat,” while also acknowledging he never saw the man point what turned out to be an air rifle or threaten anyone.

Beavercreek officer police officer Sean Williams made his statements during a deposition in a federal civil suit filed by the family of John Crawford III. Crawford, 22, was killed Aug. 5, 2014, after police responded to a 911 call about someone waving a rifle in a store in Beavercreek, a Dayton suburb.

The Dayton Daily News reports depositions show police relied on the lone 911 caller. A grand jury and federal prosecutors declined to file charges against Williams.

The civil case is scheduled for trial next month.

Airbnb bans renter who threw raucous New Year’s party

SEVEN HILLS, Ohio (AP) — Airbnb says it has permanently banned a man who threw a huge New Year’s party at a house in suburban Cleveland where he was renting a room.

Police say about 250 people were crammed inside the home in Seven Hills when officers arrived. They reported seeing partygoers vomiting and breaking windows. Officers from nearby departments were called in to help disperse the crowd.

Investigators say the man advertised the party online and charged $5 to enter. He was renting a room for $40 a night.

The homeowner locked himself in his bedroom and called police as the party spiraled out of control. He says the renter had agreed not to throw a party.

Police say the party thrower faces charges including disorderly conduct.

Airbnb tells WJW-TV that such incidents are “incredibly rare.”

State opposes reconsideration of family slain autopsy ruling

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio Attorney General’s Office says the state Supreme Court shouldn’t reconsider its decision rejecting requests for unredacted autopsy reports from the unsolved slayings of eight family members.

Attorneys for the office say arguments by two newspapers for a new ruling simply repackage previous arguments.

At issue is the Ohio Supreme Court decision last month that the Pike County coroner does not have to release the reports with complete information.

The case involves seven adults and a teenage boy from the Rhoden family who were found shot to death at four homes near Piketon in April 2016.

The Cincinnati Enquirer and the Columbus Dispatch have asked the court to reconsider, saying its ruling sets a precedent allowing investigators to shield records on “an impossibly vague standard.”

Macy’s to close downtown Cincinnati store

CINCINNATI (AP) — Macy’s is closing its store in downtown Cincinnati.

The Cincinnati-based retailer confirmed Wednesday that the closure is part of a plan to close 100 stores that it announced in 2016.

The store’s 54 employees were notified of the closure Wednesday. They were told the downtown site was expected to shut its doors in mid-March.

Some employees will be offered positions at nearby Macy’s locations, while others will be offered severance and outplacement options.

Democratic Mayor John Cranley says he believes the space will be filled. City Manager Harry Black says while the city does not have a plan for the location, officials are in contact with the property owner.

Black says the closure is understandable given the struggles the retail sector has faced with the increase of new technology.

Feds announce new charges against alleged Ohio MS-13 members

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The federal government says four more alleged members and associates of the MS-13 gang have been charged in Ohio.

Prosecutors say a federal grand jury charged the four on Dec. 14 on counts including extortion, money laundering and drug dealing. The indictment was announced Tuesday.

Federal authorities say one of the four has been deported, one is a fugitive and two Columbus suspects are in custody.

The government also says additional charges have been filed against previously indicted defendants, including illegally possessing ammunition and multiple firearms as “undocumented” individuals.

The government says El Salvador-based MS-13 consists chiefly of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

Authorities say the gang has more than 10,000 members and associates operating in at least 40 states, including Ohio.

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