Ohio student arrested for post referencing Florida shooting
HAMILTON, Ohio (AP) — Police say a 14-year-old student at an Ohio high school referenced the school shooting that killed 17 people in Florida in a social media post and has been arrested.
Ross Township police in southwestern Ohio say the teen was arrested early Thursday and charged with inducing panic, a second-degree felony. They did not specify what the post said.
Ross High School Principal Brian Martin commended other students and community members who alerted the school to the post. The school will have an increased police presence as a precaution Thursday.
Authorities say a former student opened fire Wednesday with a semi-automatic rifle at a high school in Parkland, Florida.
Ohio medical examiner worried about increase in meth
CLEVELAND (AP) — An Ohio medical examiner is expressing concern about an increase in the amount of methamphetamine his office has tested in the past year.
Cuyahoga (ky-uh-HOH’-guh) County Medical Examiner Dr. Thomas Gilson says meth was detected in tablets and crystal form in 316 cases last year.
Gilson says that’s up from 114 the year before.
The medical examiner for the office serving the greater Cleveland area says he’s not seeing an increase in deaths yet but he calls the drugs’ appearance disturbing.
Gilson’s office calls meth a highly addictive stimulant that can lead to weight loss, dental decay, open sores, and heart and brain damage.
17-year-old helps revive track coach suffering heart attack
TWINSBURG, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio teen has helped save a track coach who suffered a massive heart attack at a local fitness center.
Twinsburg Assistant Track Coach Chuck Glover tells WJW-TV he had just put weights on the floor at the Twinsburg Fitness Center in October when he collapsed. He says he had close to 100 percent blockage in a main artery.
Nicole Fruscella, a lifeguard at the facility, was called to the scene and asked to bring an automated external defibrillator. The 17-year-old says while she was trained to use an AED, she had never used it to give someone aid before.
Fruscella gave Glover a shock before paramedics took him to a hospital.
Glover now says he had an angel on his shoulder that day, and her name is Nicole.
City releases funeral details for Ohio officers fatally shot
WESTERVILLE, Ohio (AP) — Funeral arrangements have been set for the two Ohio police officers fatally shot while responding to a 911 hang-up call in the Columbus suburb of Westerville.
A post on the Westerville city website says a viewing is scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon Friday for Westerville officers Anthony Morelli and Eric Joering at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Westerville followed by a funeral starting at 1 p.m.
A procession through the city of Westerville will follow the funeral. The city will livestream Friday’s services.
The two veteran officers were shot after entering a residence early Saturday afternoon. The officers returned fire, wounding 30-year-old Quentin Smith.
Smith has been charged with aggravated murder. He remains hospitalized.
Officer charged with stopping her vehicle from being towed
CLEVELAND (AP) — Authorities say a Cleveland police officer who owed more than $1,500 in unpaid parking tickets is facing charges for stopping another officer from having her vehicle towed.
Cleveland police say an officer conducting traffic enforcement Monday found Officer Angela Gaston’s car had $1,520 in unpaid parking tickets.
The officer tried to have Gaston’s vehicle towed, but police say she ignored the officer’s orders and drove away. An arrest warrant was issued for Gaston, who later turned herself in.
Gaston has been charged with obstructing official business, having an expired license and failure to comply.
She will remain on restricted duty pending the outcome of the charges.
Report: Hundreds of Cleveland rape kits not submitted
CLEVELAND (AP) — A newspaper reports that Cleveland police failed to send hundreds of rape kits, violating Ohio law.
The Plain Dealer reports the police department discovered a kit backlog in 2017 caused by a detective who hadn’t submitted evidence to the county lab on time.
The paper estimates more than 220 kits weren’t properly submitted between 2014 and 2016. Police have not confirmed the number.
Under state law, police departments must submit rape kits for testing within 30 days of identifying a crime report. However, there is no penalty for failing to comply with the law.
Cleveland Rape Crisis Center president Sondra Miller says kit backlogs may weaken the trust that assault victims have in law enforcement.
A Cleveland police spokeswoman said the department doesn’t comment on ongoing internal investigations.
Ohio school adopts measures to rid school grounds of geese
NILES, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio school district is working with the state to relocate numerous geese calling the area around a high school home.
Niles schools in northeast Ohio and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources will begin using a noisemaker Friday to startle the birds around McKinley High School.
The Vindicator reports that this spring the district will build a barrier and add landscaping to discourage the birds from coming onto school property.
The school district says the geese are aggressive and litter the area with feces, an ongoing problem for decades.
Holder to headline Democratic Party dinner in Ohio
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio Democratic Party says former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will be the featured speaker at its annual legacy dinner in April.
Chairman David Pepper announced the appearance Wednesday.
Holder leads the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. The group is seeking to influence races in Ohio and 10 other states that it views as key to redistricting reform, including nine governor’s races, 18 legislative chambers, two ballot initiatives and two down-ballot races.
The group considers this year’s election cycle critical because it’s the first whose winners will participate in drawing congressional maps for the decade starting in 2021. Politically gerrymandered maps have been blamed for partisanship, gridlock and incivility in Washington.
Holder’s group is working to raise $30 million with the help of former President Barack Obama.
Man charged after 150-mph chase on Ohio interstate
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (AP) — A man who led an Ohio state trooper on a 150-mph (241-kph) interstate pursuit has pleaded not guilty to felony charges.
Records show 38-year-old Gavin Haynes was charged Wednesday in central Ohio’s Clark County with aggravated vehicular assault, receiving stolen property, fleeing and eluding, escape and resisting arrest.
A state Highway Patrol trooper says in an affidavit that the chase began Tuesday night after clocking a Mercedes Benz traveling at 100 mph (161 kph) on Interstate 70.
The affidavit says Haynes sideswiped two vehicles and flipped an SUV when he pushed it into a guardrail, causing the driver minor injuries. Haynes crashed the Mercedes and fled on foot. He was found hiding under a blanket in a nearby barn and arrested.
Court records don’t indicate if Haynes has an attorney.
