Judge sets $5M bond for Ohio suspect shooting of 2 officers
PAINESVILLE, Ohio (AP) — A judge has set a $5 million bond for a man accused of wounding two police officers during a shootout at a car dealership outside of Cleveland.
Thirty-one-year-old Timmothy Schmidt pleaded not guilty to attempted aggravated murder Wednesday in Lake County Common Pleas Court.
He was jailed Tuesday after being released from a hospital where he spent nearly seven weeks after being wounded in the shootout with Willoughby Hills police on Sept. 28.
Officers had responded to a report of problems involving a customer upset about his bill at a BMW dealership. One officer was shot in the chest and the other in the leg. Both were released from a hospital within a few days.
Schmidt’s attorney says Schmidt is chiefly concerned with the health of the two officers.
2nd Ohio state lawmaker resigns over inappropriate behavior
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The second Ohio state lawmaker in a month has resigned amid allegations of inappropriate behavior.
State Rep. Wes Goodman, a Cardington Republican, resigned on Wednesday.
Republican House Speaker Clifford Rosenberger says he learned of Goodman’s inappropriate behavior Tuesday and confronted him immediately.
No details have been made public about what Goodman’s inappropriate behavior entails.
Goodman says in a statement he regrets “actions and choices” that prevent him from carrying out his duties “in a way that reflects the best ideals of public service.”
Goodman, a conservative Christian, says he brought personal “struggles” and “trials” into his public life.
Republican state Sen. Clifford Hite resigned Oct. 16 after a sexual harassment complaint was filed against him.
Senate Democrats’ chief of staff, Michael Premo, resigned Monday over allegations of inappropriate conduct.
Ohio county mulls plate scanners to find crime-linked cars
CLEVELAND (AP) — The Ohio county that includes Cleveland is considering installing license plate scanners at intersections to help police find vehicles used during crimes.
Cleveland.com reports the Cuyahoga County Council expects to spend nearly $900,000 to install 18 cameras at locations throughout the county. The cameras are capable of taking one photo per second of vehicles traveling at speeds of up to 100 mph.
The images are loaded into a searchable database. Alerts are sent to a command center when a license plate for a suspected crime vehicle is detected.
The American Civil Liberties Union has expressed concerns about the collection and sharing of data on all drivers.
Officials say motorists don’t have to be warned about the scanners because there’s no enforcement action for passing through an intersection.
3 Ohio pastors indicted on child sex trafficking conspiracy
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — A third Ohio pastor has been indicted on sex trafficking charges, and prosecutors now say all three men worked together to entice underage girls with money in exchange for sex.
A federal grand jury in Toledo has indicted the Rev. Cordell Jenkins, the Rev. Anthony Haynes and the Rev. Kenneth Butler on conspiracy to sex traffic children. All three men pleaded not guilty Tuesday.
The US Attorney’s Office says Haynes began grooming a 14-year-old girl for prostitution in 2014. Prosecutors say Haynes introduced her to other men and all three of the pastors sexually assaulted her.
Jenkins and Haynes were previously indicted on child sex trafficking charges in July.
An attorney representing Jenkins tells WTVG-TV her client understands he is facing “very serious allegations.”
Man dead, woman hospitalized after touching power line
AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Authorities say one man was killed and a woman seriously injured after they were electrocuted while trimming trees in Ohio.
The Akron Fire Department says the pair were working for a private contractor in Akron Tuesday afternoon when the 38-year-old man made contact with a high-voltage power line. The man died, and the 46-year-old woman was thrown from the lift bucket.
The woman has been hospitalized, and the extent of her injuries has not been released.
A spokesman for FirstEnergy says the company temporarily cut power so the man’s body could be removed from the bucket.
The man’s death is still under investigation.
Former prison chaplain gets probation for sex with inmate
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — A former prison chaplain in Ohio has been sentenced to probation for engaging in sexual conduct with a female inmate.
A judge on Tuesday rejected a request from prosecutors to sentence 53-year-old Kenneth Bozeman, of Dayton, to prison and instead opted for up to five years of probation.
Bozeman had been a chaplain at Dayton Correctional Institution, a state prison for women.
Prosecutors say an inmate told authorities in 2015 that the chaplain had engaged in sexual conduct with her.
Bozeman was charged and then convicted of sexual battery in October.
His attorney said Tuesday that the sex between the two was consensual and the sentence of probation was appropriate.
Lost mail leads to dismissal of charges in overdose death
AKRON, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio judge has dismissed charges in a fentanyl overdose death after documents mailed by the imprisoned defendant got lost.
The judge says the suspect’s right to a speedy trial was violated.
Akron court clerk Jim Laria tells the Akron Beacon Journal that prosecutors didn’t get the request for a speedy trial because the clerk’s office “dropped the ball.” Laria says his office has since changed how it handles certified mail.
Imprisoned defendants who file paperwork for a speedy trial are supposed to go to trial within six months under Ohio law. LeTroy Vaughn, of Akron, argued his case should be dismissed because that window passed.
Prosecutors unsuccessfully argued that they never received the paperwork from the 26-year-old Vaughn.
He remains in prison on unrelated drug charges.
