Teen in fatal crash to be tried as juvenile

        A 16-year-old Anderson Township girl charged in the Jan. 18 high-speed crash that killed a St. Ursula Academy classmate will be tried as a juvenile, a judge decided Tuesday.

        The driver was charged with aggravated vehicular manslaughter in the death of her best friend, 16-year-old Julia Schmidt, a back-seat passenger who was not wearing a seat belt.

        The driver, who is not being named because of her age, and another passenger did not suffer life-threatening injuries.

        Hamilton County prosecutors said the car was traveling at 135 mph when the girl lost control and ran off eastbound Woodruff Road in Anderson Township.

        On Tuesday, Juvenile Court Judge Sylvia Sieve Hendon called such cases a tragedy that she has begun to see all too often. She cautioned that, despite her decision to keep this case in Juvenile Court, it would be a mistake to expect that every similar case would have the same result.
       

Pastor faces 2 counts in cemetery case

       When Robert Merkle heads to trial in May, he will face one count of theft and one count of failing to maintain an endowment care fund.

        The 62-year-old Methodist pastor is the administrator of Wesleyan Cemetery in Northside. He is accused of draining the cemetery's endowment fund of more than $97,000 for personal expenses.

        The money was earmarked for the cemetery's upkeep.

        He had been indicted on three counts of theft, but Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge David P. Davis said Tuesday that it would make more sense for the prosecution to merge those counts. The charges cover only the ways in which money was taken, as opposed to the number of instances.

        The judge also denied a defense motion filed last week arguing that prosecutors should either dismiss the charges or re-charge Mr. Merkle under different statutes.

        Judge Davis said he would wait until trial to decide whether the prosecution would be allowed to tell jurors about two prior misdemeanor convictions, in 1979 and 1980, Mr. Merkle has for deceptive and fraudulent practices.

        Mr. Merkle goes to trial May 20.
       

Jail pot-smuggler gets probation

       A former Hamilton County sheriff's corrections officer was sentenced Tuesday to serve one day of probation after he pleaded guilty to bringing marijuana into the Hamilton County jail.

        Danny Bell, 27, was indicted on two counts of trafficking in pot and two counts of illegal conveyance of weapons/drugs onto the grounds of a detention facility.

        Prosecutors said that from Aug. 30 to Sept. 1, then-Deputy Bell delivered less than 200 grams (7 ounces) of marijuana to two inmates, William Hardy and William Gover.

        Mr. Bell, who was hired by the Sheriff's Department Aug. 3, 2000, was placed on administrative leave without pay Oct. 12, two days after he was indicted by a Hamilton County grand jury.

        As part of the plea agreement, Common Pleas Judge Thomas H. Crush dismissed the remaining three charges against Mr. Bell. A spokesman for the Sheriff's Department said Tuesday that as a result of his conviction, Mr. Bell will be fired.

Children's Hospital gets $750,000 grant

        A $750,000 grant will allow Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center to set up a school for youths getting treatment at its new mental health services campus in College Hill.

        The College Hill center, acquired last year from Phoenix International, is expected to open in December. The grant from the Spaulding Foundation, announced Tuesday, will be used to provide computers for eight classrooms, building renovations, furniture and supplies.

        The school program, which will include teachers from the Cincinnati Public Schools, will allow students to pursue education and training even beyond traditional high school ages, officials said.

        The new College Hill center is expected to help relieve a shortage of psychiatric services for youth in Greater Cincinnati. Children's reports that outpatient mental health visits have grown from 4,000 to 10,000 a year in a two-year span.
       

Groups, citizens rally for new flags

        CHEVIOT — Local organizations and private citizens have stepped up to replace the city's tattered American flags.

        “We've had all brand-new ones blowing in the wind along Harrison Avenue,” Safety Service Director Steve Neal said. The patriotic effort replaced about 80 flags damaged by full-time use since Sept. 11.

        The Western Hills Veterans Council donated a dozen flags, and Cheviot Action Partnership donated $500 toward purchases. The city's “Tie One On” Christmas campaign, in which residents purchased ribbons to tie to the city tree, raised $300, and a Green Township resident, Ruth Coyle, contributed $281 from the sale of beaded flag pins that she made and sold through local businesses.

        The city had to buy only a handful of flags and now has some in reserve, Mr. Neal said.
       

Hamilton man is convicted of murder

        HAMILTON — A Butler County jury on Tuesday convicted a 20-year-old Hamilton man of murder and other charges in the death of his 22-year-old brother Nov. 27.

        Marchelo Garrett was convicted of murder with a gun specification, aggravated burglary and kidnapping in the slaying of Michael Wayne Garrett.

        The jury acquitted a second Hamilton man, 20-year-old Joshua James Hibbard, of murder and manslaughter charges, but convicted him of felonious assault.

        Mr. Garrett was shot in the back with a .357 Magnum revolver early on the morning of Nov. 27. The crime occurred in the 100 block of Timber Hill Drive..

        The two men will be sentenced May 6 by Common Pleas Judge Patricia Oney.
       

Dayton trio face heroin charges

        LEBANON — Three Dayton, Ohio, residents arrested last month after an undercover investigation into heroin trafficking were indicted Monday in Warren County.

        Charged with one count each of trafficking in heroin are Terri Lynn Pullen, 27; Donald Westley Pullen, 26; and Julius Kareem Render, 24. Mr. Pullen also faces a charge of heroin possession, and Ms. Pullen is charged with permitting drug abuse.

        The three were arrested Feb. 8 after drug agents arranged a 1-ounce delivery of the drug from Dayton to a parking lot on Ohio 122 near Interstate 75 in Middletown in exchange for $4,000.

        Police said they seized more than 34 grams (1.18 ounces) of heroin, the 1999 Pontiac Grand Am the suspects occupied during the undercover deal, drug paraphernalia and $1,400 cash.

        The monthlong investigation by the Warren County Drug Task Force, Butler County Sheriff's Office and Middletown police was intended to shut down heroin distributors who were delivering the drug to Butler County.

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