Fenwick graduation 2012
Ponitz graduation 2012
Cars and Parts Swap Meet
Home > Blogs > Dayton area crime > Archives > 2009 > March
March 2009
911 restored to dispatch center; sheriff wants more testing
DAYTON - An AT&T official said 911 capabilities have been restored to the new Regional Dispatch Center Tuesday, March 31, but Montgomery County Sheriff Phil Plummer wants more testing before resuming operations.
Plummer said he intends to seek any available restitution from AT&T for the time and money lost during the five days the center has been offline. Calls are being answered at the backup center in the basement of the jail until the new center at 480 Vantage Point in Miamisburg reopens.
“I am going to do whatever it takes to make sure this never happens again,” Plummer said Tuesday during his fourth press conference in five days about the matter.
Michael Kehoe, vice president for AT&T Ohio, said it is “too early” to say if the county will be reimbursed for any lost revenue, but said his company will do what it can for its client.
Plummer suspended 911 operations at the center Thursday, March 26, less than 24 hours after it began operations, after a “technical malfunction” was discovered after a house fire.
The malfunction, along with possible dispatcher error, caused a nearly 20-minute delay in Harrison Twp. fire crews responding to scene, Plummer said.
The fire started after Helen Braender, 81, fell asleep while cooking food. She survived the blaze, but the $60,000 home was a complete loss. Four dogs also died in the fire.
About five of the 14 emergency calls reporting the fire were never routed to dispatchers because a phone relay malfunction, Plummer said. Frustrated callers can clearly be heard expressing their shock no one was responding to fight the fire.
Other calls reporting emergencies also went unanswered during an 8-hour period Thursday, Plummer said.
When pressed by reporters, Plummer would not specifically blame AT&T for the problems at the dispatch center, but repeatedly asked reluctant AT&T officials to address media questions about what happened.
Kehoe said trunk lines that handle incoming calls malfunctioned and were overloaded, by the 14 calls received during the fire. He rebuffed questions if AT&T was to blame Tuesday, saying it was time to move forward.
The dispatch center is supposed to be able to handle as many as 53 calls, Plummer said.
Emergency calls will still be handled by the backup center, while the Regional Dispatch Center will handle non-emergencies.
TweetPolice: Aspiring poker pro needing bankroll threatens to kill ex-girlfriend
DAYTON - Officers arrested a 31-year-old man Sunday, March 29, who allegedly hired someone to kill his ex-girlfriend after she refused to bankroll his bid to become a professional poker player, according to police.
Michael L. Cribbs is in jail on a felony attempted aggravated murder charge after he made repeated threats to the woman that he was going to hire someone to kill her, according to police.
The woman was not seriously harmed, but told officers she believed Cribbs would follow through on his threat, according to police.
Formal charges have yet to be presented to the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office, Lt. Patrick Welsh said.
TweetNew dispatch center still not taking 911 calls
MIAMISBURG - Crews from AT&T continue to seek a fix for a computer malfunction that Sheriff Phil Plummer said is the reason he suspended 911 operations at the new Regional Dispatch Center late last week.
Capt. Rob Streck said phone crews worked through the weekend to try and fix the problem. He said there is no timeline to resume 911 operations at the dispatch center, 460 Vantage Point, which began official operations Thursday, March 26.
Officials became aware of the problem after numerous 911 calls reporting a house fire in Harrison Twp. Thursday, March 26, went unanswered.
Problems with a dispatcher’s computer and possible protocol violations by the same dispatcher caused a 15-minute delay in fire crews responding to flames in the 2400 block of Wheeler Avenue.
You can read more of last week’s fire by clicking here.
TweetPolice: Prostitute challenges cop to fight, gets Tasered
DAYTON - A 40-year-old woman police said exposed her breasts and urinated in public was Tasered after she challenged officers to fight and refused to obey orders.
Officers watched as Dawn Bostick, a known prostitute, exposed herself on North Main Street as they sat in their car near the intersection of North Main Street and Santa Clara Avenue about 2 a.m., Sunday, March 29, according to a police report.
As they approached, Bostick pulled down her pants and began urinating in public, the report stated. Officers quickly determined Bostick was intoxicated and arrested her for public indecency, the report stated.
Once inside the cruiser, Bostick told the officer to “take off his badge and fight her like a man,” the report stated.
Bostick then laid down in the back seat and started kicking a passenger-side window of the cruiser, the report stated. Bostick tried at least four separate times to kick out the window, telling the officer she had asthma and needed more air, the report stated.
After being warned she would be “Tased” Bostick kicked at the window again. Officer Gregory Orick got out of the cruiser and deployed his Taser, striking Bostick in the abdomen, the report stated.
“She immediately discontinued her behavior and became compliant,” Orick said in his report.
Bostick is in jail on a felony vandalism charge for damage she caused to the police cruiser, according to jail records. She also faces misdemeanor charges of public indecency and loitering to engage in prostitution.
TweetTeen who reported rape admits she made story up
DAYTON - The 13-year-old girl who said she was raped in the 1600 block of North Keowee Street has admitted to investigators she made the story up.
The girl said she was in trouble at home and made the story up because she feared getting in trouble for being out at about 6 p.m. Sunday, March 29, according to police.
Special victims unit were called to the scene after the girl told officers she was pulled behind a closed business while walking home from a friend’s house, police said.
Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputies and officers from Five Rivers MetroParks were helping Dayton police look for the suspect.
The girl was taken to The Children’s Medical Center of Dayton where she confessed to officers she made the story up, according to police.
She will not face any charges for making up the incident, according to police.
TweetMore calls missed at new emergency dispatch center
Calls for help to the Regional Dispatch Center about a fire on Wheeler Avenue weren’t the only ones to go unanswered on Thursday, March 26.
Deborah Feldman, Montgomery County Administrator, said Friday that other calls throughout the day weren’t answered at the dispatch center, which opened Thursday. Montgomery County Sheriff Phil Plummer closed the dispatch center temporarily on Friday as problems with phone lines were apparently being sorted out by AT&T.
Feldman said some of those who failed to reach the dispatch center Thursday instead called 225-HELP and reached assistance.
Issues with the dispatch center are expected to be discussed at a 4 p.m. press conference Friday, March 27. Officials are expected to release more details on the missed calls at this press conference.
The victim identified in a Harrison Twp. fire report was listed in serious condition at Miami Valley Hospital at 3:30 p.m. Friday.
According to the report, responders extinguished the fire on the first floor but “stairs were burned through to the second floor” so firefighters could not reach the second floor inside the house. Instead, they used Blitz Fire Guns from outside the structure to contain the fire so crews could again safely fight it from inside the house, the report said.
A fire lieutenant ruled the fire accidental because food was left on the stove and the owner fell asleep in the living room, the report said.
Click here to read today’s story on the regional dispatch center’s shutdown. The first story on Thursday’s fire can be found here.
Check back later for updates on this developing story.
TweetSheriff temporarily shuts down new dispatch center
- Hear the 911 call: Witnesses: Firefighters took too long to respond to fire
HARRISON TWP., Montgomery County - Sheriff Phil Plummer has suspended operations at the new Regional Dispatch Center Friday, March 27, a day after it took dispatchers nearly 15 minutes to get crews to the scene of a fully involved fire.
Calls have been transferred and are being taken at the old county dispatch center while problems that arose Thursday are worked out, Plummer said. Crews from At&T were at the Regional Dispatch Center in Miamisburg at about 2 p.m. still trying to figure out was caused the problems.
The fire at 2451 Wheeler Ave. burned for nearly 30 minutes before rescue arrived, witnesses said. A total of 14 emergency calls were made, with five of them going unanswered by dispatchers.
You can read about Thursday’s fire by clicking here.
One call rang 22 times before a frustrated caller hung up, according to 911 audio. Thursday was the first official operating day of the dispatch center which coordinates efforts for 19 count police agencies and 11 fire departments.
Capt. Rob Streck, who runs the dispatch center, said the calls overloaded the transfer boxes which accept incoming 911 calls and then route to dispatchers. The calls that rang without answer Thursday were never transferred to dispatchers, Streck said.
Plummer said there were some technology issues that created problems for the dispatchers. He said the calls that rang without being answered were never received by dispatchers due to a technical problem.
“The phone company is there trying to get this straightened up right now,” Plummer said. “There is no interruption in emergency calls as we are getting all 911 calls at our old center.”
Plummer said he did not know when the new dispatch center would reopen. A press conference has been scheduled for later this afternoon, he said.
Stay with DaytonDailyNews.com for more information on this developing story.
TweetBroken tables, glass in nightclub net two arrests
DAYTON — Two men, including one found shirtless and another tracked down from a picture on his cell phone, were arrested Thursday, March 26, after a fight at an Oregon District nightclub that left tables and glasses broken.
Cori Ballard, 22, and Jamichael L. Carter, 22, were arrested on charges of assault and criminal damaging after police were dispatched to Sloopy’s, 613 E. Fifth St., at 2 a.m., according to a police report. A man later identified as Carter was found shirtless and bleeding from a large cut on his right hand near the club, and witnesses identified him as a man who had damaged property inside, the report said.
The initial investigation determined that Ballard was leaving the building when he started punching another patron in the face. Carter joined the fray, and both men left shortly after, the report said.
Carter then returned, broke two tables and smashed several glasses in and around the bar, the report said.
The patron who was attacked told police his assailant had left his cell phone on the bar. From the photo used as the phone’s background, officer’s found Ballard standing outside the club and arrested him, the report said.
TweetSuspected drugs found in 4-year-old’s candy box
DAYTON — Police are continuing to investigate suspected marijuana residue that was found in a box of assorted candies a 4-year-old student brought to school to share with classmates.
A teacher at Gorman School, 156 Grant St., discovered the suspected marijuana upon opening the box on Wednesday, March 25, said Dayton Sgt. Andrew Booher. The school contacted the child’s parents, who denied possessing any drugs, Booher said.
The school contacted police on Thursday, which brought two officers to the one-story brick building near Children’s Medical Center.
Police are testing the residue to confirm the “minute amount” is marijuana and could then possibly turn the case over to Montgomery County Children Services or the department’s detective section, Booher said.
It’s unlikely any drug charge would come from such a small amount, which could have been the leftover of a larger stash, but child endangering charges could be brought, Booher said.
Tweet$5 bill, not assault, leads to arrest
DAYTON — Police arrested one person after the downtown post-car-strike assault on Tuesday, March 24, but it wasn’t for assault. It was for stealing $5, then putting it back.
Robert M. Coberly, 22, was arrested on a charge of unarmed robbery following the call at 101 E. Third St. at 1:30 p.m., according to a police report. According to an initial investigation, a car driven by the complainant stuck a female near a construction zone in the area of East Third and Jefferson streets. As reported yesterday, the struck pedestrian and several others then tracked down the complainant and at least one person threw punches, the report said.
Officers learned that the pedestrian was walking in a No Pedestrian zone in the construction area, although she said she didn’t believe she was at fault. Another male pedestrian was walking in the same area, and he echoed a belief that the driver was at fault, the report said.
They were informed, however, that they were at fault, and both were cited for jaywalking, the report said.
The complainant told police that, during the struggle with the small group, Coberly threw several punches and reached into his pockets to take a $5 bill. The complainant added that Coberly then returned the money back into his pocket, the report said.
The complainant had visible bruising on the left side of his head and scratches on one hand, the report said.
Coberly denied reaching into the complainant’s pockets but was arrested for lifting the cash.
TweetStruck pedestrian chases down, beats driver
DAYTON - Officers are trying to sort out a fight that erupted after a pedestrian struck by a car, along with his friends, chased down the driver and confronted him.
Police responded to a call of the struck pedestrian at about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 24, near the corner of Third and Jefferson streets, according to police.
The pedestrian told officers he was hurt when struck by the car, but managed to get to the driver, along with a group of people he was walking with, according to police.
The group then started beating on the driver of the car, police said. No arrests have been made at this time, but police are still on the scene trying to sort out the ordeal.
TweetSecurity guard orders obedient bank robber to sit down
DAYTON - A quick-acting security guard and bank teller helped capture a bank robber who walked into the U.S. Bank downtown for the second time in four months and demanded cash.
Roderick Sample, 29, told a teller Tuesday morning, March 24, that he had a weapon and wanted cash, according to police. The teller and other bank employees were suspicious of Sample when he walked in the door and were prepared, Lt. Larry Faulkner said.
The bank’s security guard got in place as Sample walked up to the teller and ordered Sample to sit down, police said.
Sample did just that and the security guard was standing over him when police arrived, Faulkner said. The teller had already hit the silent panic alarm, Faulkner said.
Sample is wanted in at least three other bank robberies, including the robbery of the same U.S. Bank in December, Faulkner said. \
It is unclear how much cash Sample got away with then, but police had been staked out downtown weeks after the December robbery hoping to catch Sample.
Sample never displayed a weapon during Tuesday’s robbery, according to police.
“We have been to numerous banks and trained them to look out for certain things - to be aware of clothes, gloves or something that a suspect might wear,” Faulkner said. “That’s exactly what happened here. They noticed the suspect wearing suspicious clothing and followed the training. We couldn’t be more thrilled with the security guard.”
TweetCookies lead to gunfire at drive-through
DAYTON - The employee of a local drive-through fired multiple shots in the air after a group of people returned to the store to complain about his actions.
Nicholas A. Taylor, 19, was arrested Monday, March 23, at about 9:30 p.m. after he fired at least eight shots into the air outside the Youngs Drive Thru, near Riverview Avenue and Philadelphia Drive, according to a police report.
The incident happened after an employee ate cookies from a package meant for a waiting customer, the report stated.
The two customers said they didn’t want the opened package of cookies and they started to argue with Taylor, the report stated. Taylor told them to leave, but the customers returned, along with more family members to confront Taylor, the report stated.
That’s when Taylor fired multiple rounds into the air, the report stated.
Witnesses told officers Taylor passed the gun to his girlfriend as officers arrived, and the gun was not recovered, the report stated.
Officers said the customers should have called police instead of going back to the drive through.
No one was hurt during the incident. Taylor faces a misdemeanor charge of aggravated menacing.
TweetDetectives say they have motive, suspect(s) in double homicide
DAYTON - Homicide detectives said a double shooting that left two men dead occurred inside a house during a dispute over drug money.
Detectives are looking for at least one suspect they’ve identified in the shooting death of Dennis A. Glover Jr. 27, and Gerald L. Brown, 39, at 515 N. Broadway St. the afternoon of March 17, Sgt. Gary White said.
Both men were shot, one in the head and one in the torso, with a handgun, White said. Glover’s girlfriend, Tawana James, said he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Glover and Brown were friends, according to family members.
White said detectives have identified witnesses who were in the house when the shooting occurred but fled. He said those witnesses are “avoiding” detectives and if they fail to come forward soon he is willing to release their names publicly.
The shooting might be connected to a call police received a few minutes earlier, about a fight between two men involving a gun, police said. That call indicated the men were on Ferguson Avenue headed toward Superior Avenue, about a half mile from the North Broadway Street address.
Glover and Brown are the eighth and ninth homicide victims in the city to date in 2009, according to Dayton police. You can track all known homicides in the Miami Valley by clicking here.
TweetPatrol: Tickets for aggressive driving down around Miami Valley
DAYTON - Drivers across the Miami Valley and Ohio let off the gas in 2008, as tickets written for aggressive speeding declined, a closer look at Ohio Highway Patrol statistics shows.
Montgomery County ranked at the bottom of the eight counties that had the most drivers ticketed for going 20 mph or more, the OHP reported.
Troopers issued 2,019 citations for aggressive speeding in the county, down from the three-year average of 2,137 between 2005-07. Greene County also saw a marked decline in citations issued with just less than 1,500, down from its 2,380 average between 2005-07.
Troopers issued a total of 74,507 aggressive speed citations statewide in 2008, down from an average of about 80,000 between 2005-07.
Clark County also declined, with under 1,100 tickets issued after averaging 1,150 between 2005-07.
Warren County was about 400 citations below its three-year average of 1,800 in 2008.
It’s worth noting, the declines statewide come the same year fewer motorists hit the roads because of a record-high gas prices.
Butler County saw no marked change in its average of about 1,590 citations issued.
Hamilton (4,797) and Sandusky (3,111) counties had the most citations for aggressive speeding, according to the OHP.
Nearly 40 percent of all citations for aggressive speeding were issued on a Saturday or Sunday, according to OHP. About 18 percent of all citations were issued to drivers on the Ohio Turnpike.
TweetDog thwarts burglary by biting intruder
DAYTON - Police are looking for two men who tried to burglarize a house late Sunday night, March 22, before one of them was attacked by the homeowner’s dog.
Officers responded to the 2200 block of Rugby Road at about 11:45 p.m. after a man called 911 and said two men were inside his home, according to a police report.
He told officers the men had cut the screen door leading into the kitchen. As the men were inside, the victim’s German Shepherd/Rottweiler mix started barking and attacked one of the burglars, according to the report.
The victim said he could hear the burglar screaming while his dog was attacking him, the report stated. The suspects then ran out of the house and jumped into a dark-colored Chevy car, the report stated.
The homeowner did not get a good look at the suspects before they fled. Police notified area hospitals to alert officers if anyone sought treatment for a dog bite, the report stated.
The suspects are still at large, though it did not appear anything was taken from the house. Anyone with information is urged to call 333-COPS.
TweetJilted lover uses paint to express distress
DAYTON — A woman told police that an ex-boyfriend upset about the couple’s breakup broke several televisions and poured paint over her clothes and furniture, according to a police report.
The complainant told police that on Tuesday, March 17, the ex-boyfriend visited her work and slapped her. While leaving, he said to her, “If I’m starting over, (expletive), you’ll be starting over too. Wait ‘till you get home.”
The complainant soon went to the residence she shared with the ex-boyfriend and found four televisions smashed, apparently by a hammer, and paint “all over” some clothes, two recliners and a love seat.
While officers were on the scene, the ex-boyfriend called. He told police he was very upset but did not confirm or deny the action. The man was not arrested.
TweetChair used as weapon in high school assault
DAYTON — Police responded to Belmont High School on Tuesday, March 17, after a male student hit another male student in the back with a chair.
Officers were dispatched at 11:40 a.m. after a teacher reported an assault had occurred, according to a police report. The two students began fighting about hygiene, and one said he had enough, the report said.
The upset student picked up a chair and struck the other student in the back, and the fight escalated, the report said. Two school employees struggled to separate the two, but the aggressor again picked up a desk-and-chair combination and tossed it at the injured student, although it missed him, the report said.
The two continued to fight until separated, and the chair-throwing student had a bloody nose. The other student was removed to the front office, the report said.
TweetPolice find children alone, unclothed in apartment
DAYTON - Police arrested a 22-year-old mother of three children who left them alone in a house littered with trash, broken glass and food.
Officers responded to 1016 S. Euclid Ave. at about 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 15, after residents in the apartment complex heard screaming and things breaking in another apartment, according to a police report.
They found three children ages 1, 2 and 6, alone in an apartment, the report stated. Two of the children had no clothes on and were covered in a “white creamy-type substance,” the report stated.
Children’s Services was called to scene as the mother, Stephanie Warren, showed up 20 minutes into the police investigation, the report stated.
Warren told officers her father was supposed to be watching the children, the report stated. Her father arrived on the scene and told officers that was not true, the report stated.
The children were released to a family friend and Warren was arrested on misdemeanor charges of child endangering, the report stated.
TweetMan cuts his way into grocery store to nab cash
DAYTON - Police are looking for a man who cut his way into a local grocery store and emptied the cash registers of nearly $3,000 early Monday morning, March 16.
Officers responded to an alarm at the Nabalis IGA, 2288 N. Gettysburg Ave., at about 12:30 a.m. and did not find any signs of forced entry, according to a police report. The doors were all locked and officers didn’t notice anything going on inside so they cleared the scene at about 1 a.m., the report stated.
The store’s owner did not respond to the alarm notification, but when he arrived to open the store at 7 a.m., he found the cash registers were emptied, the report stated.
Officers later found the burglar had cut a 2 feet, by 1 foot hole at the rear of the building to gain entry, the report stated. The suspect also cut a hole in the milk cooler to gain access to the inside of the store.
Cameras inside the store captured the suspect scaling overhead fixtures to climb down onto the floor of the store, the report stated. The man is seen through video emptying the cash registers, which contained a total of $3,000.
The suspect, described as a black male, about 6-feet tall and weighing 180 pounds, also took cartons of cigarettes, the report stated. He is still at large.
Anyone with information is urged to call 333-COPS.
TweetMissing woman returns home, tells police to mind own business
DAYTON - A 35-year-old woman reported missing last week returned home over the weekend and, according to police, told responding officers to mind their own business.
Lisa McKinney disappeared from 114 Burkhardt Ave. on March 7, leaving her cell phone on the front porch of her home, Lt. Brian Johns said. Her boyfriend called police on Wednesday to report her missing.
The boyfriend told police that McKinney has gone missing in the past, but always called to check in, Johns said.
McKinney returned home on Saturday and then told an officer sent to verify her return to mind his own business when he asked where she was, according to police.
The woman does not face charges at this time.
TweetPolice: Shot man’s story doesn’t add up
DAYTON - Police are investigating an apparent drug deal gone bad that sent a man to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the chest.
Willie Boddie, 24, told police he was shot on Saturday, March 14, after a man selling him a car tried to rob Boddie of the nearly $3,000 he had in his pocket, according to a police report.
The shooting happened at about 2 p.m. in the 600 block of Dearborn Avenue, the report stated. Boddie said he was trying to buy a 1967 Chevy Impala from a man he met on the Web site craigslist.org, according to the report.
Boddie said he noticed there was something wrong with the car and when he confronted the seller, the man pulled out a gun and shot Boddie, the report stated. A friend dropped Boddie off at Miami Valley Hospital, where he was treated for a non-life threatening gunshot wound.
Police later determined that Boddie and the shooter were conducting a drug deal when Boddie was shot, the report stated. A K-9 unit was called to the hospital and canine Officer Turk determined the money was connected to the drug deal, the report stated.
Police said they are still investigating and Boddie could face criminal charges.
TweetPolice looking for woman missing since Saturday
DAYTON - Police are looking for a woman missing since Saturday, March 7.
A police broadcast was made for officers to look for Lisa McKinney, who disappeared from 114 Burkhardt Ave. about 7:30 p.m., Dayton Lt. Brian Johns said.
McKinney’s boyfriend called police on Wednesday, March 11, to report that she was missing. He told officers McKinney has gone missing for days before, but has always called, Johns said.
This time, she hasn’t phoned her boyfriend, but did leave her cell phone on the front porch of her residence before taking off, Johns said.
Police have not released a description to the public and are continuing to investigate, Johns said.
TweetCity worker, girlfriend arrested for child endangering, domestic violence
DAYTON - A city waste water treatment plant worker and the mother of his child were arrested Thursday, March 12, after fighting in front of police officers responding to another emergency call.
Officers in the 5000 block of Northcrest Drive noticed Stephen Harris, 46, pull into a nearby parking lot about 5 p.m. with a 2-year-old child not secured in a car seat or seat belt, Dayton Lt. Brian Johns said.
Once parked in the Northcrest Apartments complex, Harris began physically fighting with his girlfriend, Geniah Galloway, 21, as officers looked on, Johns said.
Officers quickly broke up the altercation and arrested Harris and Galloway on misdemeanor child endangering and domestic violence charges, Johns said.
Children’s services was called and the child was released to a grandmother, Johns said.
TweetAccused killer Charlie Myers gets hearing aids
DAYTON - The 22-year-old Columbus man accused of killing a Harrison Twp. woman and kidnapping her 4-year-old son has been fitted with court-ordered hearing aids, his attorney said Tuesday, March 10.
Charlie W. Myers was supposed to appear in court Thursday afternoon to hear results of a competency exam, but that appearance has been rescheduled to April 16, according to the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s office.
Myers, who faces the death penalty for the shooting death of Jenny Nelson, pleaded not guilty in January to 20 felony counts related to the shooting and kidnapping.
He is hearing-impaired and was fitted with hearing aids in late February, after being ordered by Common Pleas Court Judge Dennis Langer. A sign-language interpreter has been ordered to be present for Myers’ court dates.
Investigators said on Jan. 2 Myers, armed with a shotgun, drove from Columbus in the Nelson family’s 1999 Honda Accord — reported stolen from an Ohio State University parking garage on Dec. 17.
He had no prior relationship with Nelson’s family, Montgomery County Sheriff Phil Plummer said. The Nelsons had changed their locks the day after the car was stolen, investigators said.
Myers intended to have sexual contact with their son, Plummer has said. Prosecutor Mathias Heck said Myers intent was to commit an aggravated robbery and burglary.
Myers kicked open the front door of the Nelson home on Redder Avenue, where Nelson was cooking a pizza for her son. Her husband was at work at the time, Heck said.
Myers took Nelson and her son down to the basement, where he tied Nelson to a chair, investigators said. He then took the boy upstairs and sexually assaulted him, Heck said.
Nelson broke free from her restraints, grabbed a knife and stabbed Myers in the side. Myers then shot Nelson twice with his shotgun, Heck said.
Myers fled in a car, owned by a Nelson relative, with the boy, two computers and Nelson’s cell phone, investigators said.
Myers left the boy at a rest area near the Madison and Clark County county line. The boy, who had no shoes and wasn’t wearing a coat, told a woman at the rest stop that a man had shot his mother, Heck said.
The boy was able to provide his address and phone number. Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the Nelson’s home to find Jenny shot to death inside, Plummer said.
The Oldsmobile Alero, Myers stole after the shooting, was found Jan. 4 in Columbus, the same day Myers was arrested.
FBI agents tracked Nelson’s cell phone number and determined it was used twice after her death, according to an affidavit for a search warrant filed in Franklin County Municipal Court. One of those calls was made to Myers’ cell phone.
FBI agents and Franklin County sheriff’s detectives went to Myers’ apartment at 70 McMillen Ave. and found Jenny Nelson’s cell phone, a blue Dell laptop computer, and a Playstation 2 video game system believed to be stolen from the Nelson’s home the night of the slaying, the affidavit said.
Detectives also found four shotgun shells, keys to the Nelson’s Honda and printed directions to the Nelson’s home on a table the apartment, according to the affidavit.
In an unusual moment, Myers apologized “for the crime” to a group of a reporters gathered outside the Montgomery County Jail on Jan 7.
“It’s my fault,” Myers said. “I apologize for the victim.”
TweetSuspect in school theft turns himself in
KETTERING - An 18-year-old man wanted for stealing computers from the Montgomery County Learning Center turned himself in to Kettering police on Wednesday, March 11.
Manuel E. Belmontes was wanted by police after surveillance video showed him and another suspect take two laptops from the learning center, 3500 W. Kettering Blvd., on Feb. 15, according to police.
Belmontes faces a breaking and entering charge and police said they are still trying to identify the second suspect in the theft.
TweetFormer police officer won’t be charged for man’s death
DAYTON - A Montgomery County grand jury has declined to charge a former rookie Dayton police officer for the shooting death of Ricky L. Moore.
Officer Jack Brooks has since been fired for unrelated incidents and he will not face any criminal charges for Moore’s death, the grand jury reported Tuesday, March 10.
Brooks shot Moore near Moore’s West Parkwood Avenue home at about 10:20 p.m. on July 19. Brooks told investigators he stopped Moore as he walked down the street and Moore attacked him, Chief Richard Biehl said.
Biehl said Brooks, 22, claimed he lost his Taser while wrestling with Moore. Brooks then fired three shots from about 18 feet away, with at least one shot striking Moore, 35, in the head. The officer’s Taser was found next to Moore where he fell, Biehl said.
Days after the Moore’s death, Biehl disclosed that he had signed paperwork a day before the shooting that called for Brooks’ firing. The paperwork was not immediately forwarded to City Manager Rashad Young because of the lateness of the day, Biehl said.
Biehl said he was following the recommendations of two police district commanders who found serious fault with Brooks’ performance.
“I have the following concerns with Officer Brooks: safety, truthfulness, ability to handle stress effectively, failure to attend court, turning in reports in a timely manner and handgun accuracy,” Second District Commander Lt. Michael M. Martin wrote in a memo to Maj. Michael Brown, patrol operations superintendent.
The allegations were investigated and Biehl said some were found to be false. Brooks, 22, was transferred to the Fifth District on April 7, where the problems continued. That district’s commander also called for Brooks’ dismissal.
“The only thing I can say with certainty (is) this incident could have ended differently if Mr. Moore had not engaged in the conduct he did, attacking a police officer,” Biehl said at the time’s of Brooks’ firing.
TweetUD students told police they knew one of robbers
By Kyle Nagel and Lucas Sullivan Staff Writers
DAYTON - Two University of Dayton students were robbed at gunpoint and one was assaulted at the Garden Apartments, 312 E. Stewart St., by three men who forced their way into one of the apartments on Monday, March 9, police said.
Police were dispatched to the address about 10:06 p.m. on a report of a robbery and assault, Dayton Lt. Brian Johns said.
The students, 20 and 21 years old, told police they buzzed into the apartment building what they thought was a pizza delivery driver for Corleone’s Pizza at about 9:40 p.m.
When one of the students looked through the door’s peephole, he saw three black men.
One of the students said he recognized one of the men from a recent campus party they attended, so he opened the door, according to a police report.
He told police that when he started to open the door, the three black men forced their way into the apartment, Johns said.
One of the intruders had a rifle. Another had a handgun. It’s not clear whether the third person was armed, Johns said.
A second student in the apartment was hit in the face with the handgun. What led to that injury has not been made clear, Johns said, noting that police are continuing to investigate.
That student was taken to Miami Valley Hospital for stitches, Johns said. The student who opened the door apparently was not hurt, Johns said.
One of the students told police the only intruder he recognized goes by the name “Little Jerry.” The student said he told Little Jerry at the weekend party where he lived and that they should “hang out,” the report stated.
The robbers took one of the student’s wallet, two laptops, two cell phones and pictures all valued at about $4,000, the report stated.
UD put its student body, faculty and staff on alert by telephone voice mail to take precaution because of the incident.
TweetRobber demands money, then shoots man
DAYTON - Police are looking for the gunman who robbed a 33-year-old man at gunpoint and then fired three shots at him later Sunday, March 8.
The victim said he was walking in the 2900 block of Sage Avenue just before midnight when a black man, about 6-feet tall and 180 pounds and wearing a maroon sweatshirt confronted him and demanded money, according to a police report.
The suspect brandished a handgun, demanded money and told the victim to “empty his pockets,” the report stated. For an unknown reason the suspect then fired three shots at the man, hitting him in the arm.
The victim was taken to Miami Valley Hospital and treated for a through and through gunshot wound to the arm, the report stated.
There were no witnesses to the shooting and it is unclear if the gunman took anything from the victim.
Anyone with information is urged to call 333-COPS.
TweetPolice looking for ice cream shop burglar
DAYTON - Police are looking for a man who burglarized the Nice N’ Sweet Ice Cream Shop early Monday morning, March 9.
Residents in the 1200 block of Linden Avenue reported seeing a man in a black hooded sweatshirt inside the ice cream shop just after midnight, according to a police report.
The front window had been broken and the burglar attempted to pull a television out of the shop, the report stated. The man fled from the store just before police arrived, witnesses said.
The owner of the store arrived and told police nothing else was missing.
Evidence crews dusted for fingerprints and there was no description of the suspect. Anyone with information is urged to call 333-COPS.
TweetRegistered sex offender accused of sexual contact with girl
DAYTON - Dayton police have arrested the son of a former police lieutenant on charges he had inappropriate sexual contact with his girlfriend’s 8-year-old daughter.
David Sherrer Jr., 30 and a registered sex offender, faces a felony charge of gross sexual imposition after special victims unit detectives arrested him at 5 a.m. Monday, March 9, in the 100 block of Norman Avenue.
Sherrer, son of former Lt. David Sherrer, fondled the girl and made her do the same to him, according to police.
“We believe this might be an ongoing situation and that’s all I can say,” said Sgt. Tom Flanders, supervisor of the special victims unit.
Flanders did say more charges could follow pending the outcome of the investigation.
In 2002, David Sherrer Jr., then a guard at the Dayton Human Rehabilitation Center was convicted for performing sex acts with three inmates at the workhouse.
David Sherrer Jr. was sentenced to five years of community control and ordered to register as a sex offender, according to court records.
TweetTeen arrested at school after guard finds gun in hood
DAYTON - A 16-year-old boy has been arrested at Longfellow Learning Center Monday morning, March 9, after a metal detector helped a security guard locate a gun hidden in the hood of his jacket.
The boy walked into school, at 245 Salem Ave., at about 8 a.m. with a gun tucked in the hood, wrapped in fabric and set off the metal scanner, Sgt. Moises Perez said. A magazine was in the gun, but it contained no bullets, Perez said.
The teen told officers he felt threatened by another child at school and brought the gun “for protection,” Perez said. The boy thought the gun was loaded.
The boy said another kid gave him the .32 caliber handgun days ago, according to police.
The teen faces a felony charge of possession of a firearm on school property, along with a misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed weapon.
Tweet3-year-old reports rape to parents; man arrested
DAYTON - Police have arrested a 38-year-old man on charges related to the rape of a 3-year-old relative on Sunday, March 8.
Charles L. Yelley is in jail on felony rape and gross sexual imposition charges after he allegedly assaulted the 3-year-old girl in her home in the 3200 block of East Fourth Street at about 3 p.m.
The girl told her parents of the incident, who then called police, Lt. Patrick Welsh said. Special victims unit detectives responded to the scene and are expected to speak with the child again today before presenting charges to the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s office, Welsh said.
Formal charges will not likely be approved until Tuesday, Welsh said. Police are waiting until then to release more details of the assault.
A background check found Yelley has been arrested 11 times before Sunday’s incident. He has been jailed previously for probation violations, burglary and domestic violence.
TweetMan allegedly threatens cable guy with cap gun
DAYTON — A man allegedly using illegal cable in his apartment was arrested for threatening a Time Warner Cable employee with a cap gun that the employee believed was an actual handgun, according to a police report.
Philip K. Alley, 60, was arrested Wednesday, March 4, after the TWC employee responded to his apartment to check out a report of illegal cable usage, the report said. The employee told officers Alley went to a bedroom, removed a gun from beneath a yellow T-shirt and threatened him with it, the report said.
Officers arrived at 5:54 p.m., and made contact with Alley, who was still inside the apartment. One officer noticed a yellow piece of cloth and discovered a cap gun that “closely resembled an actual firearm,” the report said.
The employee identified Alley, who was arrested on a charge of aggravated menacing.
TweetTeen arrested for selling drugs at high school
DAYTON — A 17-year-old Dunbar High School student was arrested Wednesday, March 4, for allegedly selling marijuana at the school and trying to stash the drugs with a 15-year-old girl when discovered, according to a police report.
Officers responded to the school at 12:40 p.m. after a security guard reported seeing two students passing money in a doorway. When the security guard approached, the students, including the 17-year-old, quickly walked away, and the teen removed a plastic bag from his pocket, the report said.
The two students then passed by the 15-year-old girl, to whom the teen handed the baggie. The girl told officers the teen said to her, “I need you to hold something for me,” the report said.
The security guard then took all three students to the office and called police. Officers recovered five individually wrapped plastic baggies inside the larger bag, and each weighed between 1.79 and 2.94 grams, the report said.
The 17-year-old was arrested on a charge of trafficking in drugs and transported to the Family Court Center, the report said.
TweetPolice: Assault by student sends teacher to doctor
DAYTON - A Wilbur Wright Middle School teacher had to seek medical attention after she was struck in the chest by a 15-year-old student over a cell phone on Tuesday, March 3.
Police were called to school, located at 1361 Huffman Ave., at about 3:30 p.m. after the teacher, Edna Robinson informed school officials of the assault, according to a police report.
She wrote in a statement that at about 1:45 p.m. the 15-year-old boy and another boy walked into a room looking for a cell phone they hid in a book case, the report stated.
Robinson said she found the phone and when she went to pick it up the 15-year-old boy squeezed her hand until he she dropped it, the report stated. The boy then elbowed her in the chest.
There were two witnesses to the attack that backed Robinson’s story, the report stated.
The boy was taken to the Family Court Center on a felony assault charge, the report stated. Robinson went to the doctor and was treated for soreness in her chest.
TweetFatal crashes down in wake of patrol crackdown
DAYTON - Automobile crash statistics released Tuesday, March 3, by the Ohio Highway Patrol show a 40 percent reduction in the number a fatal crashes across the state. The decline came between March 15 and September 30 of last year while troopers and local authorities stepped up enforcement on roads in the Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Toledo areas, according to the patrol. The OHP said its attention to major cities across the state is the main reason for the decline. Fatal crashes in Montgomery County decreased from 50 in 2007 to 36 last year. In urban areas across the county, fatalities decreased from 32 in 2007 to 23 last year. There was also a 17 percent dip in serious crash injuries statewide, according to the statistics.
TweetMan arrested after shaking butt at officer
DAYTON — A 36-year-old man was arrested after he allegedly shook his rear end at an officer and refused repeated officer commands to leave the area of a traffic stop.
Ernest L. Bunche was one of three people in a car officers pulled over on Paul Laurence Dunbar Avenue at about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 3, according to a police report.
Officers issued a “99” which means officer in danger, when another passenger, Ronica Long, disobeyed orders and repeatedly reached under the seat for what officers suspected was a weapon, the report stated.
It was determined later Long was reaching for a “large bundle of cash,” the report stated. Officers also determined the car’s driver, Darmane Shorter, was driving without a license.
They also removed Bunche from the rear of the car and after determining he committed no crime, he was released.
But Bunche refused Officer Matthew Dickey’s offer to give him a ride, instead demanding officers release Shorter.
After repeated attempts to get Bunche to leave the scene, Dickey gave him one last chance before Bunche yelled at them to let Shorter go, the report stated.
While Dickey patted Bunche down, Bunche made a derogatory comment about his groin and started shaking his rear end at Dickey, the report stated.
“All right, that’s it. You’re under arrest for disorderly conduct,” Dickey said.
Bunche was booked in under that charge without incident. He was later released, pending a court appearance. Shorter was issued a citation and later released, along with Long.
TweetGunman runs off with cash from Ray’s Market
DAYTON - Police are looking for a man they said robbed a local market at gunpoint Sunday night, March 1.
The man walked into Ray’s Xenia Avenue Market, 720 Xenia Ave., at around 11 p.m., brandished a handgun and demanded money from the store’s clerk, according to police.
The clerk gave the gunman the money in the drawer and the man ran out of the store, according to police. A K-9 unit was called, but the dog could not follow the gunman’s scent.
No one was harmed during the incident. It is unclear how much money the man took, but it was not a significant amount, police said.
The gunman is described as a stocky black male, about 6-feet tall and wearing a red shirt, dark pants and white shoes, according to police.
Anyone with information is urged to call 333-COPS.
TweetBurglar(s) wheel out 200-pound safe from local BW3s
DAYTON - Employees of an area Buffalo Wild Wings arrived Sunday morning, March 1, to find a 200-pound safe containing nearly $15,000 in cash and gift cards had been stolen from the restaurant.
A store manager called police at about 8:30 a.m. after noticing the store’s safe was missing, according to a police report. Whoever burglarized the restaurant at 1900 Brown St., disabled the store’s alarm by cutting the cable and phone lines, the report stated.
Whoever stole the safe, which contained 300 gift cards and nearly $11,000 from Saturday’s sales, used a dolly cart, the report stated. The break-in occurred between 3:45 a.m. and 8 a.m. Sunday, since employees were present at all other times.
There was no sign of forced entry, the report stated. Cable and satellite crews were still working to get the televisions inside working at 2 p.m. Sunday for those who gathered to watch NBA and college basketball.
Police are not sure how many people were involved in the break-in and have no suspects. Anyone with information is urged to call 333-COPS.
TweetOSU football players arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia
This isn’t Dayton-area crime, but since we are all Ohio State fans:
COLUMBUS - Two Ohio State University freshman football players will be in court this week to face a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.
Mike Adams, 18, and J.B. Shugarts were issued citations on Jan. 14 after the car they were in ran a stop sign near campus, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
It is unclear what drug paraphernalia was found in the car. The two were not arrested, the newspaper reported.
Both offensive lineman have pleaded not guilty. Adams has a pre-trial hearing Monday, March 2, while Shugarts will appear in Franklin County Municipal Court on Wednesday.
TweetMan wanted to have sex with cousin before beating her with VCR
DAYTON - A 51-year-old woman’s condition has been upgraded to stable after she beaten in the head with a VCR by a cousin Saturday, Feb. 28, days after the suspect was released from prison.
Police said the woman was beaten by Percy S. Cochran, 28 and a convicted felon, at about 2 a.m. on Saturday before Cochran broke into the homes of two other relatives.
Investigators said Cochran intended to have sex with his cousin, but when she refused, he choked her and then beat her with the VCR. The woman, whose name has not been released, suffered severe brain injuries but was talking, according to police.
Detectives later found Cochran inside a book store in the Oregon District on East Fifth Street at about 7:45 p.m., Lt. Brian Johns said.
After the assault, Cochran broke into a residence on West Second Street followed by a second break-in on Shoup Avenue, Johns said.
Cochran stole several handguns during the break-ins, along with two cars he later abandoned in Dayton neighborhoods, Johns said.
A background check found Cochran was just released from prison on Feb. 25 after a 2006 conviction for burglary and harassing an inmate, according to court records.
Cochran has been arrested 19 times in Montgomery County since 1999 for charges ranging from theft and felonious assault to drug abuse and gross sexual imposition, according to jail records.
TweetStakeout leads to bust of copper-theft ring
DAYTON - Patience by undercover Dayton metal theft detectives led to the arrest of two men believed to be involved in a copper-theft ring.
Detectives Jamie Bullens and Jennifer Godsey were staked out at the AT&T offices about midnight on Friday, Feb. 27, at 4337 Interpoint Blvd. when they noticed two men going inside the fenced-in area, according to a police report.
As the detectives radioed for backup, the two men, James C. Hatcher, 24, and Matthew Nussman, 23, were spotted by detectives taking insulated-copper wire by crawling underneath a fence to an SUV in a nearby parking lot, the report stated.
Nussman and Hatcher had taken about $2,500 worth of copper and used power tools they hooked up to power sources outside the building to cut pieces of the copper wiring from large spools, according to police.
Police said they believe the duo is the same that has burglarized the AT&T offices five straight weekends. Nussman and Hatcher have been there so many times, police said, they wore a path up to the fenced-in area where they could gain entry.
Nussman is still in jail on felony charges of breaking and entering and possessing criminal tools, while Hatcher posted bail with the same charges, according to jail records. Police said more charges could be filed.
Tweet
