Database will give police info on people with disabilities

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A new database will alert Ohio law enforcement officers about motorists and passengers with communication disabilities who could be mistaken for someone impaired or a threat.

The Blade reports the Legislature approved creating the database at the urging of Jenny Hughes, of Walbridge, in northwestern Ohio.

Hughes’ oldest son is 24, has autism, but is high functioning and recently started driving. Her 23-year-old son is severely autistic and doesn’t drive, but could become agitated if he’s in a vehicle that’s pulled over.

The database goes online in early August. It would include personal information about people tied to specific vehicles and linked with the database used by law enforcement officers to check license plates.

Forms to voluntarily put names in the database will be available on Ohio’s disabilities agency website.

Ohio Senate OKs bill to stop suspensions of young students

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio Senate has unanimously approved a bill preventing schools from imposing out-of-school suspensions to young students who have committed minor infractions.

The Columbus Dispatch reports Ohio elementary schools have handed out 35,000 suspensions in each of the last two years. About half were for disruptive or disobedient behavior. The newspaper reports nearly two-thirds of the children were black and 90 percent came from low-income households.

Lawmakers are concerned that out-of-school suspensions serve to punish children who might be acting out in class because of trauma at home caused by neglect, physical abuse or stress caused by poverty.

The Senate bill passed this week calls would limit suspensions and expulsions for students in pre-kindergarten through third grade for behavior that threatens the safety of students and staff.

Review clears deputy who searched for trapped Ohio teen

CINCINNATI (AP) — A sheriff’s office has cleared the actions of a deputy who unsuccessfully searched for a 16-year-old boy who died after being trapped in a minivan.

WKRC-TV reports that an internal investigation by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s office found Deputy Doug Allen acted within the guidelines for sheriff office’s policies.

The report released Friday includes Allen’s description of what he did during the April 10 search for Kyle Plush and the deputy’s regrets he didn’t trust a gut feeling that something wasn’t right.

Plush’s father Ron Plush found his son’s body inside the 2004 Honda Odyssey in a parking lot near his school nearly six hours after Kyle’s first 911 call.

A coroner says he died of asphyxiation from his chest being compressed.

Columbus police shoot, kill man during SWAT stand-off

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Columbus police say SWAT officers fatally shot a man after he made a “threatening gesture” with a handgun during a stand-off.

Police say the shooting happened early Sunday morning in a neighborhood on the west side near the state capital’s downtown.

Police say they responded to reports late Saturday night of a man firing shots into the ground. Police say the man ran into a house and SWAT officers and a hostage team tried to negotiate with the man.

Police withheld the name of the victim while family was notified.

Woman fatally shot near Ohio house targeted in drive-by

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Police in Ohio say a woman was gunned down as she walked by a house targeted in a drive-by shooting.

The woman, who was in her 60s, was shot shortly after 6 p.m. Saturday. She was taken to a local hospital where she died. Her name was not released.

Dayton Police Sgt. Creigee Coleman tells the Dayton Daily News that the woman was an innocent bystander. He says a car containing two men drove by a house and five or six shots were fired from a high-caliber gun.