Plumber gets 5 years for assaulting officer

        LEBANON — A 56-year-old plumber who assaulted a Lebanon officer, tried to take his gun, then dragged him with his van in an attempt to get away was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison.

        In a Warren County courtroom packed with relatives and about a dozen police officers, Lee Everitt continued to maintain his innocence and said Officer Chris Brock initiated the confrontation.

        “One thing is for sure. When I took the stand and swore to God to tell the truth, that's exactly what I did,” said Mr. Everitt, who has said he was only trying to get away from Officer Brock.

        But Judge Neal Bronson, who noted that he received numerous letters from Mr. Everitt's relatives and friends calling for mercy, said Mr. Everitt was the aggressor.

        A jury convicted Mr. Everitt on May 22 of aggravated robbery, assault and failure to comply with a police order during the scuffle during a traffic stop at Warren and High streets. He faced up to 16 years in prison.
       

Butler accuses 3 of ducking support

        HAMILTON — Butler County Prosecutor Robin Piper says he has snared three more “big fish” in the pond of deadbeat parents.

LIFE IMITATES ART: Sahara (right), the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden's 19-month-old cheetah, sits next to one of three new statues at the pedestrian entrance. Gorilla and rhino statues were built at the other entrances. (Ernest Coleman photo) | ZOOM |

        “The message remains strong to child-support offenders: You can run, but you can't hide,” Mr. Piper said.

        Arrested were:

        • David Combs, 40, originally from Middletown, who was tracked to California. Authorities learned he had returned to Butler County, where he was served with two warrants for criminal non-support. He owes more than $70,000. He was released Thursday on a property bond posted by his parents.

        • William Gregory, 44, of Hamilton, who owes more than $24,000 in child support, and was found in New Jersey. An assistant prosecutor, Aaron Aldridge, persuaded Mr. Gregory to return to Butler County and surrender. Mr. Gregory was released Wednesday on his promise to continue reappearing for future court dates.

        • Tracy McCollom, 44, of Hamilton, who owes more than $21,000 in child support, and was tracked down at his parents' home in Forest Park. Mr. Aldridge persuaded Mr. McCollom to surrender. He is scheduled to appear before Judge Patricia Oney next week.
       

Morgue photog seeks early release

        Less than three months after he was sentenced to prison for 2 1/4 years for placing props on bodies at the Hamilton County Morgue, Thomas Condon is asking for early release from jail.

        Mr. Condon's lawyer, Lou Sirkin, has filed a motion asking that his client be given “shock” or early probation and is scheduled to appear Monday before Common Pleas Judge Norbert Nadel.

Condon

Tobias

        Mr. Sirkin was unavailable for comment Thursday.

        Judge Nadel sentenced Mr. Condon to prison April 16 after he and former assistant coroner Jonathan Tobias were convicted on charges of abusing a corpse.

        Dr. Tobias was sentenced to five months in the Hamilton County Justice Center.

        During his trial, Mr. Condon argued he had permission from coroner's employees to take the pictures.

Carlisle man hit, killed by train

        FRANKLIN — Police are investigating the death of a Carlisle man who was struck and killed by a train at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday on the Norfolk Southern tracks off Lower Carlisle Road.

        Police identified the victim as Richard Allen Lykins, 46. The incident occurred less than a mile from the crossing on Lower Carlisle Road, dispatchers said.

        No other information was available.
       

Driver dies in crash on Reagan Highway

        SPRINGFIELD TWP. — A Green Township man was killed in a single-car accident on the Ronald Reagan Highway Thursday morning.

        Robert Grote, 53, was pronounced dead at the scene.

        Mr. Grote was driving a 1985 Lincoln Town Car west on the highway when he lost control, entered the median and struck a bridge abutment for the Daly Road overpass, Springfield Township police said. The crash occurred about 8:10 a.m.

        The accident remains under investigation.
       

Girl in bleach killing sent for evaluation

        A 15-year-old girl whose father died after bleach was thrown on him was sentenced Thursday to six weeks in a Ohio Department of Youth Services facility.

        The teen, who was Ohio's first juvenile to undergo a jury trial, will then be brought back to court for evaluation.

        Hamilton County Juvenile Court Judge Sylvia Sieve Hendon is expected to refer the girl to the local Passages treatment program for girls, if she passes the evaluation, prosecutors said.

        The treatment program, which will be geared to her specific problems, is designed to last three to six months.

        The girl was convicted on felony counts of involuntary manslaughter and felonious assault in the death of Archie Dale Hall of Avondale.

        She was classified as a serious youthful offender under a relatively new state law, which provided the girl with the right to have her case heard by a jury.

        Mr. Hall, 39, died Feb. 18. He and his daughter had argued Jan. 28 over the girl's 17-year-old boyfriend. At some point, the argument became physical and Mr. Hall was doused with bleach.

        A coroner's report determined that Mr. Hall died as a result of bleach inhalation.
       
Lightning strikes 4 golfers in Green Twp.

        GREEN TWP. — Four golfers were struck by lightning Thursday evening while on the Neumann Golf Course on Bridgetown Road.

        Firefighters responded to the 7th hole of the golf course at 7215 Bridgetown Road about 6:15 p.m, Green Township Fire Lt. Mike Nie said.

        The four, who were conscious when rescuers arrived, were transported to area hospitals.

        Robert Coyle, 49, and Greg Phelps, 35, both of Green Township, and John Sontag, 38, of Miami Township, were in fair condition Thursday night at University Hospital.

        Pat Curran, 35, of Hamilton, was being treated at Mercy Franciscan Hospital, Western Hills. His condition was unavailable.

Man guilty in death of two last summer

               A jury found Montez Taylor of Silverton guilty on two counts of aggravated murder late Wednesday in last summer's shooting deaths of Clem Turner III and Lornie P. Starkey.

        Mr. Taylor's lawyers argued that another man, David Johnson, was in the car with their client and actually shot the victims, who were killed after a car chase last July in Pleasant Ridge.

        Mr. Taylor, 23, was tried earlier on the same charges, but that trial ended in a hung jury.

        Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Fred Cartolano ordered a penalty phase trial to begin Monday. The same jury will decide whether Mr. Taylor should be sentenced to death.
       

Man sits on suspect until police arrive

       A man working in his yard in Mount Auburn thought he saw something fishy and ended up sitting on an alleged car thief.

               Jimmy Bawtenheimer, 20, and his dad were outside about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday on Dorsey Street when they saw two men park a silver Hyundai. A woman ran up and said she thought the car was stolen.

        While his dad called police, Mr. Bawtenheimer followed the two men, asking them what they were doing. One of the men punched him in the face, he said, after which he got the man on the ground — and sat on him until police arrived.

        Edward Burgin, 19, of Over-the-Rhine, was charged with receiving stolen property and assault. Police said he had been seen driving the car, which had been stolen from a hotel.

Port Authority uses $28,000 on law firms

       The Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority — the agency in charge of developing Cincinnati's riverfront and redeveloping polluted industrial sites — spent $55,301 on consultants for accounting, payroll and clerical services along with legal advice during the first five months of the year.

               Cincinnati and Hamilton County have pledged $2.1 million for Port Authority operations. Both governments will make one more contribution to the Port next year, then the agency is supposed to be self-sufficient.

        The biggest chunk of that money, nearly $28,000, has been spent on two law firms. The Port authority's clerical services have cost taxpayers $10,400.

        Of the seven companies the Port Authority has contracted with this year, three are minority-owned businesses and two are women-owned businesses.

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