5/21/19 – 5:18 A.M.
A waterline project will close a Findlay intersection today. The city’s engineering department says you won’t be able to get through the intersection of Westfield Drive and Stanford Parkway between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m.
A detour is posted. You’re advised to avoid the area if possible.
Closure Location:
5/21/19 – 5:13 A.M.
Another teenager is heading to prison for his role in a December home invasion. Judge Reginald Routson sentenced 19-year-old Devin Kerr of Bowling Green to seven years behind bars during a Monday sentencing hearing. Kerr was part of a group that held Phyllis Hall at gunpoint in her Deshler area home before taking her car.
Kerr pleaded guilty to kidnapping and receiving stolen property charges. The prosecution dismissed a count of aggravated burglary. The kidnapping charge had a firearm specification and carried a three-year mandatory sentence on top of the extra four years imposed by Routson.
18-year-old Alexandra Ayala of Dunkirk will be sentenced for her role in the crime in June. Everyone else involved in the home invasion has received their sentence.
MORE: History of the case.
5/21/19 – 4:59 A.M.
A Findlay man will spend two years in prison for the suffocation death of his son. 27-year-old Jack Killion learned his sentence Monday after pleading guilty to a charge of reckless homicide on April 9th. 3-month old Surreno Killion died on March 1st of 2018. The coroner’s report said the death was accidental, a result of “co-sleeping with an adult.”
County Prosecutor Phil Riegle pushed for the maximum sentence of three years in prison because Killion had drugs in his system at the time. He tested positive for methamphetamine and marijuana.
Riegle said the amount of meth in Killion’s system was very small. Riegle argued that coming off a meth high combined with marijuana would make Killion too tired to realize he was smothering his child.
05/20/19 – 8:06 P.M.
The Findlay City School Board got a look at the five-year forecast Monday. Treasurer Mike Barnhart explained that they are still looking at deficit spending but not all the numbers are in yet.
Barnhart added that it is odd to have a required five-year forecast when the state plans its budget every two years, but that it does have some benefits…
He said that they will continue to work to lower costs while maintaining the level of education the students deserve.
05/20/19 – 7:42 P.M.
The Findlay City School Board got a presentation on lost instruction hours during their Monday meeting. Donnell Middle School’s Angela Dittman said that she and some other teachers have counted the hours spent on state testing. From Kindergarten to grade 12, the average student loses 617 hours of instructions. Dittman said that this amounts to about 20 weeks of school.
She said that they wanted to raise awareness on how much time is lost on state testing. She added that legislators are currently looking at the issue but that it is still important to gain advocacy.
05/20/19 – 5:43 P.M.
With high school graduations happening around the area, parents will be planning celebrations. The Ohio Investigative Unit wants to remind you not to host parties with alcohol. The OIU says it is illegal to provide a place for your child and their friends to drink. If convicted of providing alcohol to a person under 21 years of age, you could face maximum sentences of six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine. Bars and restaurants could also be fined if caught selling alcohol to a minor.
05/20/19 – 3:11 P.M.
Two Findlay natives will be inducted into the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame at the end of the month. Charles and the late Mariann Younger are among 12 older Ohioans being inducted this year to honor a lifetime of contributions and accomplishments.
Mr. and Mrs. Younger were married for 53 years. Mrs. Younger passed away in 2016. She devoted her time to the University of Findlay’s Mazza Museum and helped establish the Hancock County Juvenile Court’s CASA/Guardian-ad-Litem program. Mr. Younger is a past member of the Findlay-Hancock County Area Chamber of Commerce and supported several local programs.
Both will be honored on May 30 at the Statehouse Atrium in Columbus.
5/20/19 – 9:57 A.M.
The Wood County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a man who apparently walked away from his work release program today. An alert from the office says 22-year-old Zachary Strall went to his job at Greenline in Portage around 8 a.m. Around 15 minutes later he went into the parking lot and got into a blue or green Ford Taurus. Officials believe he is in Bowling Green or Napoleon.
The sheriff’s office describes Strall as a black man, about 5’6″ with black hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a blue and white hooded sweatshirt, dark pants, and boots when he went to work this morning.
You’re encouraged to contact the Wood County Sheriff’s Office if you have any information about where Strall is.
5/20/19 – 8:30 A.M.
David Spridgeon stepped down as the clerk of the Findlay Municipal Court last Friday. Deputy chief Heather Eigel moved into the clerk of courts role earlier today.
Spridgeon did not give a reason for his resignation. Director of court services Dave Beach did not connect the move to a case where police found Spridgeon engaging in sexual activity with an employee of the clerk of courts office in a car at Emory Adams Park last October.
Following the incident, Spridgeon had some of his job duties assigned to other staff members. His pay raise for this year was also canceled.
5/20/19 – 8:06 A.M.
Local gas prices have come down from last week’s highest prices, but are still higher than they were a week ago. OhioGasPrices.com reports the average price for a gallon of regular in Findlay is $2.65 today. That’s six cents higher than last Monday, but down 22 cents from last Wednesday.
Drivers in Ottawa are still paying $2.65 per gallon. The average price hasn’t budged in Ottawa for weeks.
The statewide average stands at $2.73 per gallon. That up 11 cents from last week.