Monthly Archives: June 2019

Man Charged With Assaulting Senior In Fostoria

06/03/19 – 6:44 P.M.

Fostoria Police arrested a man after investigating reports of an intruder inside one of the buildings at Good Shepard Home on Sunday. According to a post on the department’s Facebook page, they arrested 38-year-old Noel Sims II. Officers were told that a man had barricaded himself in the bathroom after he was discovered assaulting the resident.

Police charged Sims with aggravated burglary. The victim is an 83-year-old woman who may have been sexually assaulted. She was examined by a sexual assault nurse examiner but the results aren’t available yet.

The investigation continues.

Expert Talks About Service Animals On WFIN

06/03/19 – 5:30 P.M.

Dr. Jessica Bibbo from the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging joined us on WFIN to talk about service animals. Bibbo explained that she took part in a recent study that looked at how service animals affected family members.

Bibbo added that the study was done to provide empirical evidence on how service animals can provide a sense of relief for families.

She also talked about how some people will register their pets as service animals. She said that only trained animals that fulfill a specific purpose should be labeled as service animals.

She explained that there has been a lot of progress in getting acceptance for service animals in communities and that this practice works to derail that progress.

State Patrol Investigating I-75 Accident In Findlay

06/03/19 – 4:46 P.M.

An accident on I-75 by the State Route 613 entrance ramp involving two semis and a box truck lead to two injured and a lane closure early this morning. The OSHP Findlay Post reports that 51-year-old Anthony Breitner was heading southbound around 4:30 a.m. when he rear-ended a box truck driven by 54-year-old Robert Pasho. The accident detached the box from the truck and sent cargo into the roadway which was struck by a semi driven by Dana Widener.

Breitner’s semi and trailer went off the road and had to be pulled from a flooded field. Both he and Pasho were taken to Blanchard Valley hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. All Lanes of traffic were cleared around 10:30 a.m.

Early Morning Crash Closes I-75 Southbound Near Van Buren

6/3/19 – 5:02 A.M.
UPDATE – 9:50 A.M.

Cleanup continues following a morning crash on I-75. One lane of I-75 southbound in the northern part of Hancock County remains closed at the moment. The State Highway Patrol says the closure is in place near the State Route 613 interchange. The entrance ramp from Route 613 to southbound I-75 is also closed. A semi went off the road in that area early today. Crews had to remove the truck from a high water area and are now cleaning up debris.
 
So far no other details are available about the crash.

Crash Location:

Drainage Clearing Will Cause Lane Restrictions In Putnam County This Week

6/3/19 – 7:53 A.M.

ODOT crews are cleaning drainage structures along highways in Putnam County this week. You’ll see lane restrictions on State Route 65, State Route 189, U.S. 224, and State Route 634 as a result.

Elsewhere in the county, U.S. 224 and State Route 15 is closed in Ottawa starting today for a waterline installation project. The closure is near Pratt Street, east of State Route 65. A detour is posted.

Parts of U.S. 224 between Kalida and the Van Wert County line are restricted to one lane for resurfacing work. The project will last through late July.

Pavement Repair Begins On Hancock County Highways This Week

6/3/19 – 7:44 A.M.

Pavement repair work will restrict several highways to one lane in Hancock County this week. ODOT says you’ll see work on State Route 37 between County Road 153 and State Route 103 and on State Route 103 between County Road 8 and Wyandot County. Pavement repair is also taking place on U.S. 224 between State Route 235 and Putnam County as well as on State Route 613 between McComb and the Putnam County line.

Culvert repair work will close State Route 235 between Township Road 47 and State Route 12 for five days starting today. Crews will start culvert repair work on Route 235 between U.S. 224 and State Route 12 on Wednesday.

ODOT says crews will reduce State Route 235 in McComb and Mount Cory to one lane for curb and sidewalk replacement in the villages. The curb work is part of a larger resurfacing project that will start on June 17th.

Masterson’s Hardware Closing This Summer

6/3/19 – 5:31 A.M.

After nearly five decades in business, Masterson’s hardware and farm supplies will close its doors later this year. John and Barb Masterson announced Friday that they plan to retire by the end of the summer. They have sold the building, but haven’t said to whom.

John says when they first opened the store the mostly sold farm supplies. After around 20 years they started to sell more hardware items and work clothing.

The Mastersons plan to stay in the area.

Assault At Fostoria Good Shepherd Home Under Investigation

6/3/19 – 5:24 A.M.

An intruder allegedly assaulted a resident of the Good Shepherd Home in Fostoria Sunday morning. Police Chief Keith Loreno confirms the department is conducting an investigation but hasn’t released any details yet.

A post of Good Shepherd’s Facebook page says someone entered the Brethren Court assisted living area around 6:30 a.m. and victimized a resident. Staff members detained the intruder and removed the resident from harm’s way until police could arrive.

The suspect is in jail facing an aggravated burglary charge for the time being.

Blanchard River Begins To Recede After Weekend Downpours

6/3/19 – 5:14 A.M.

The Blanchard River is receding in Findlay after three inches of weekend rain caused flash flooding and river flooding. The National Weather Service says the Blanchard crested in the major flood stage at just over 14 feet around 5:30 p.m. Sunday. They expect it to drop out of flood stage by late this morning.

In the meantime, the river continues to rise in Ottawa. The latest forecast calls for the Blanchard to crest in minor flood stage at 23.6 feet around 8 p.m. tonight. However, the river appears to be rising slower than expected at this time.

The high water closed several area roads Sunday. ODOT reports that State Routes 37 and 568 remain closed in spots east of Findlay this morning.

Area fire departments had to rescue at least four people from three cars that drove into high water areas over the weekend.