A July report of a missing boy quickly turned into a homicide investigation, with Dayton police suspecting that 7-year-old Hershall Creachbaum Jr. had actually died weeks earlier.
Early July 12, Michael Kendrick, who was dating Hershall’s mother, called 911, claiming a man punched him and took the boy, who is nonverbal and autistic.
Hershall’s mother Ashley Johnson admitted he died sometime in late May.
Kendrick reportedly admitted to beating the boy, and said that Hershall died the next day. Kendrick reportedly guided investigators to where he left Hershall’s remains.
The couple were both arrested and charged in the boy’s death.
An attorney for Hershall’s estate filed lawsuits claiming Montgomery and Clark county officials and agencies were negligent in the boy’s death, saying school staff reported signs of abuse two dozen times, but children services failed to take action in either county. A state report found that children services made mistakes leading up to the boy’s death.
Christian Black’s death
The March death of a Zanesville man after fighting with jail staff led to multiple lawsuits and investigations into jail officers.
On March 23, Christian Black, 25, was taken into custody after crashing an allegedly stolen vehicle on Interstate 70 in Englewood. Once in the jail, Black reportedly was involved in two fights with jail staff.
Security video footage of the second fight showed Black was put in handcuffs and then into a restraint chair, where multiple corrections officers pushed down on his back. He soon went limp, went into full arrest and eventually was pronounced dead at the hospital. Black’s death was ruled a homicide by the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office.
After the death, Black’s family filed lawsuits against the jail, Montgomery County, nurses who were on the scene and Naphcare, the company that provides medical care to the jail. Montgomery County would later settle with the family for $7 million. The lawsuit against Naphcare and its employees is ongoing.
Ten jail employees were placed on leave after Black’s death. Of those, six returned to work in September after attending training on using the emergency restraint chair, one was “probationary released” in November and three others remain on leave as the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office investigates.
A grand jury declined all charges against the jail staff.
Black’s death led to calls for greater oversight at the jail as well as reform of its systems.
Kettering man killed, dismembered: Son dies in prison, 2 sentenced
A year after a man found a pair of human legs wrapped in a tarp at the end of his driveway, two people were sentenced to prison connected to the murder.
Three people were charged in 75-year-old Edgar Keiter Sr.’s death — his son, Edgar Keiter Jr., grandson, Tygan Keiter, and KeiterJr.’s girlfriend, Amanda Reiff.
Keiter Sr.’s legs were found in a tarp at the edge of a driveway in Trotwood on April 22, 2024. An investigation determined Keiter Jr. killed his father and his son staged texts to make it look like his grandfather was still alive, according to Kettering Municipal Court records.
Reiff was seen in the storage unit where Keiter Jr. kept the rest of his father’s remains. She told another person she knew Keiter Jr. stabbed his father, according to court documents.
Keiter Jr. died following an apparent medical emergency while in custody at the Montgomery County Jail on Nov. 11. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said there were no signs of foul play or drug use. His cause and manner of death have not been determined as of Dec. 18.
Reiff was sentenced to 18 months and Tygan Keiter was sentenced to one year for their roles in Keiter Sr.’s death.
SWAT standoff leads to finding missing woman’s remains in Kettering
A SWAT standoff in Kettering resulted in a missing woman’s remains being found in a backyard on June 18.
Crews were at a Mini Court home the previous day to serve warrants related to a domestic violence investigation and Nicole Slusser’s disappearance.
Slusser’s ex-boyfriend, Shane Smith, initially refused to exit the house. After more than eight hours, crews entered the home and found him in closet.
Investigators found human remains in the backyard while searching the property.
In October, the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office confirmed the remains were Slusser.
A missing person report was filed for her on June 2.
As of Dec. 18, her cause and manner of death remain under investigation.
Advisory issued after chase ends in crash in Washington Twp., suspect found in storm drain
A shelter in place advisory was issued in Washington Twp. after a police chase ended in a crash and the suspect was found hiding in a storm drain near a Washington Twp. park.
The incident began around 8:47 a.m. on Aug. 11 after a Springboro officer found a stolen vehicle related to a missing person investigation.
The car fled police, resulting in a chase that ended in a crash at Ohio 725 and Paragon Road. A man, later identified as Trevor Walker, fled the vehicle and went toward Oak Creek South Park.
The sheriff’s office issued a shelter in place advisory after learning Walker may have participated in a home invasion in Kentucky and crews recovered guns from the stolen vehicle.
Deputies found Walker in a storm drain and took him into custody.
Walker was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to charges in Warren County Common Pleas Court.
Thug Riders gang members, including regional boss, plead guilty as federal case continues
More than half of 14 arrested Thug Riders Motorcycle Club members have pleaded guilty in a conspiracy investigation alleging the gang committed violent crimes, including murder and arson.
As of Dec. 18, Juan Robles, Cody Hughes, Justin Baker, Jared Peters, Michael Reese, Michael Seth Henry, Joseph Rader, Daniel Hutten and Matthew Hawkins have pleaded guilty, according to U.S. District Court Southern District of Ohio records.
Robles was the initial president of the Dayton chapter and was the Midwest regional boss at the time of the indictment, prosecutors say.
Brandon Fisher had a change of plea hearing scheduled, but the results are not available.
The cases for Joey Marshall, John Smith, Norma Beach and Brent Egleston are pending. A motion to set a change of plea hearing was entered for Egleston on Dec. 10.
The gang is accused of committing various violent acts, including the deadly shooting of Joseph Nicholson in Harrison Twp., exploding a former member’s truck in Huber Heights and a gunfight at a rival club’s clubhouse in Springfield.
Fatal shooting of Dunbar High School student near RTA hub
An 18-year-old Paul Laurence Dunbar High School senior was shot and killed near the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority hub in downtown Dayton, resulting in the community looking at transportation options for students.
Alfred Hale III was at the bus hub on April 4 to take a bus to school when he was shot near 27 S. Jefferson St.
In September, a grand jury indicted Julius Williamson Jr. on murder, felonious assault and weapons charges in Hale’s death.
In the aftermath of Hale’s death, Dayton Public Schools, Hale’s family and the community have looked at different options to get students in grades 9-12 to school.
Hale’s estate filed a civil lawsuit in October claiming Dayton RTA was negligent in the teen’s death.
Wright-Patterson employee double murder/suicide
Early Oct. 25, a West Milton police officer arrived at the village municipal building and discovered the bodies of Jacob Prichard, 34, and his wife Jaymee Prichard, 33, both of Huber Heights, starting an investigation that would conclude that Jacob murdered his wife and Jaime Gustitus, 25, of Sugarcreek Twp., before driving to Miami County and killing himself.
According to police, early that morning Jacob Prichard went to Gustitus’ apartment in Sugarcreek Twp. and broke in. At around 2 a.m., he shot and killed her before fleeing, police said.
His next known location was almost two and a half hours later when he arrived at the West Milton Municipal Building, got out of the car, opened the trunk where his wife’s body was found, and shot and killed himself. It is unknown where or when Jaymee Prichard was killed, but investigators said they believe Jacob strangled her to death the previous evening or earlier in the morning.
The Prichards and Gustitus all worked at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, but otherwise their relationship to each other is unclear.
Criminal case concludes in deadly shooting of Heaven Washington after 4th suspect sentenced
Two years after 15-year-old Heaven Washington was shot and killed in Harrison Twp., each of the four people charged in her death are sentenced to prison for their role in the incident.
At the time of the shooting on Nov. 17, 2023, the girl was staying in a group home and needed money to go on a field trip. Baretta Byrdsong, 27, who was an employee of the home, was giving her a ride to get money, but on the way back a rented RAV-4 pulled alongside.
According to investigators, inside the RAV-4 was Tommy Moreland, 31, along with Darrell Bostic Jr., 28, and Denisha Taylor, 34. Moreland had an ongoing feud with Byrdsong, and fired several times into the vehicle, injuring Byrdsong but also shooting the 15-year-old multiple times. She died at the hospital.
Detectives would later find and chase the SUV, though they wouldn’t catch Moreland until he showed up in court in March 2024 for an unrelated case.
Each received a prison sentence. Moreland was sentenced to 37-46.5 years to life in prison, Byrdsong was sentenced to two-and-a half years in prison, Bostic was sentenced to 11-16.5 years in prison and Taylor, the last to be charged, was sentenced to two years in prison.
Criminal cases conclude for a fraudulent dog training business
Court cases concluded for three people connected to a fraudulent dog training business that charged customers thousands of dollars then neglected and mistreated their dogs.
The charges revolve around Dayton Dog Trainer, a business operated by Jason Thomas Jones where he claimed to offer obedience training for dogs and support animals in exchange for thousands of dollars. However, dogs would be returned untrained, sometimes covered in feces and with signs of abuse and neglect, according to the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office.
Abuse allegations included stories like that of Tater the French bulldog, who was left with Jones for five weeks, and when he came back was missing patches of hair, was visibly skinnier, and seemed to have had his teeth filed down.
Jones would plead guilty to 181 charges, including theft, theft from elderly/disabled, and cruelty to companion animals. He was sentenced to probation and ordered to repay $341,363.24 in restitution.
Two women that helped Jones with his fraudulent training business, Tabatha Taverna and Jennifer Long, each pleaded guilty to counts of cruelty to companion animals. They also were also sentenced to probation and to pay restitution, with Long ordered to pay $7,200 and Taverna ordered to pay $2,691.24.
Man, woman accused of kidnapping 12-year-old, beating him and pouring bleach on his face
A man and a woman were accused of kidnapping a 12-year-old boy, beating him and pouring bleach on his face early this year.
Police were dispatched to a house in the 800 block of W. Hillcrest Avenue at 1:37 p.m. Feb. 22, where the boy’s father said that Demarcus Pleasure, 38, and Reka Jarmon, 34 took the boy by force, hitting him multiple times before forcing him out the front door and into a vehicle, according to an affidavit filed in Dayton Municipal Court.
The pair then took the boy to a house in the 200 block of Lexington Avenue, where they attacked the child more and poured liquid bleach on his face, investigators said. After the assault on Lexington Avenue someone called emergency services to get help for the boy, who was taken to Dayton Children’s Hospital by medics.
Police later found out that Jarmon and Pleasure believed the boy may have committed sexual assault.
Jarmon was arrested by Dayton police, and Pleasure was arrested March 10 by U.S. Marshals. Pleasure was sentenced to three years in prison, to be served at the same time as a three-year sentence from a different case. Jarmon pleaded guilty to a bill of information on Dec. 5 and was sentenced to time served.
Eaton High School band director gets prison sentence for sexual relationships with students
The Eaton High School band director was sentenced to over a decade in prison after he was accused of being in sexual and inappropriate relationships with his students.
Eaton Community Schools Superintendent Scott Couch contacted Eaton police July 17 after a student said Paul Bingle had an inappropriate relationship with some of the female students, according to Eaton Municipal Court records.
Investigators found that Bingle’s behavior included sexual messages sent to a student via social media app Discord; picking up a student from her home, taking her to sporting events and buying her expensive things; playing with a student’s hair and buying her food and other items while on a band trip to Kings Island; and talking to students about his first sexual experience, according to court documents.
When a detective went to the school after the superintendent’s report, they found Bingle in the band room with the door locked and lights off with a female student. The student that Bingle was messaging on Discord told investigators he touched her inappropriately starting a month before and they eventually engaged in sex acts, courts records said. Bingle was immediately put on leave and later resigned.
He was sentenced to 13-17 years in prison after taking a plea agreement. He was classified as a Tier III sex offender, so will have to register his address every 90 days for the rest of his life.
The twisting case against Montgomery County Clerk of Courts Mike Foley
Three years after the Ohio Auditor of State’s Office raided the Montgomery County Clerk of Courts Office, Clerk of Courts Mike Foley was sentenced to misdemeanor charges, following a contentious legal fight that included allegations of corruption, attempts to remove Foley from office and allegations of death threats.
Credit: Jim Noelker
Credit: Jim Noelker
The case followed a twisting course. Foley was originally charged along with Montgomery County Municipal Court Judge James Piergies for allegedly transferring funds to Foley’s office to fund an position for Piergies’ son. Foley was also accused of soliciting campaign contributions from employees and using county resources and employees to produce campaign materials, as well as allegedly trying to arrange a meeting between Montgomery County Treasurer John McManus and an investment firm with the suggestion McManus invest the county’s funds with them in exchange for future campaign contributions.
Foley denied all wrongdoing. In June 2025 he changed his plea to no contest to felony and misdemeanor charges connected to soliciting campaign contributions and unauthorized use of computers, but he shortly after was allowed to withdraw the plea change because it put his eligibility to keep his elected clerk of courts job in jeopardy.
In the leadup to his scheduled trial, Foley filed for a protection order alleging that a main witness in the trail and a community activist and blogger each made death threats against him. Attorneys for the witness and activist called the accusations an attempt to discredit a witness and an activist that filed a motion in court to have Foley removed from office. Ultimately, the request for an emergency protection order was denied, and an attorney Foley hired to handle the case dropped the petitions.
In December, the week his trail was set to begin, Foley entered a new plea agreement, pleading guilty to misdemeanor unlawful campaign solicitation violations. He was sentenced to $2,000 in fines as well as court costs, and was put on 24 months of community supervision and suspended up to 180 days in jail. He will have to serve 40 hours of community service and complete ethics training.
But the state auditor’s office is now asking the court to review whether Foley violated the terms of his probation less than two weeks later by drinking alcohol at a Montgomery County GOP Christmas party.
