A man is facing various charges after police say he caused a crash in Findlay and then led police on a 26-mile pursuit at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour.

Police say Ryan W. Yoakum, 28, of Tiffin, crashed into the back of a car in the 100 block of West Trenton Avenue at around 2:19 Thursday afternoon.

Police located Yoakum’s truck traveling southbound on North Blanchard but he refused to stop and led police on a lengthy chase all the way to Fostoria and then to Tiffin.

Police say Yoakum was recklessly forcing other vehicles off the road as he fled at speeds sometimes reaching 110 miles per hour.

Police say Yoakum’s truck broke down on Township Road 119, just west of Tiffin.

Yoakum refused to exit his vehicle and yelled at the officers to shoot him.

Officers advised him that a K9 was on the way and to exit his vehicle.

Yoakum again refused and officers approached and broke out the driver’s side window and again ordered him to get out or the K9 would be released.

Yoakum finally complied and was placed under arrest.

Officers say they located approximately 40 needles in Yoakum’s truck including a dirty needle and a loaded needle they believe he used while he was refusing to get out of his truck.

Yoakum was taken to Blanchard Valley Hospital to be checked out for a possible overdose.

He was cleared to be taken to the Hancock County Jail where he’s facing charges of leaving the scene of an accident, fleeing and eluding and drug possession.

He also had two felony warrants for other drug charges.

The City of Findlay held a Diversity Rally outside the municipal building on Thursday.

One of the speakers at the event was Nina Parker, founder of the Black Heritage Library and Multicultural Center in Findlay.

“Yes we have anger, yes we have hurt, yes we have pain but we must channel it to appreciation of diversity,” Parker said.

She continued by saying she doesn’t want people to just tolerate her, she wants people to get to know her.

“Facebook me, hit me up!” she said.

Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn said change can start within all of us.

“It starts by each of us choosing to make changes in our own lives, our own families, our own communities.”

The mayor added that she’s proud of the leadership of so many people within the community who recognize the importance of unity and diversity.

People have been protesting George Floyd’s death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer in peaceful demonstrations outside the Hancock County Courthouse this week.

The Findlay Family YMCA says it had a safe and successful reopening of its facilities in late May and early June under COVID-19 guidelines.

The YMCA says it plans to open even more areas on Monday, June 8th and extend hours.

Among the things that will be opening on Monday are the locker rooms at the downtown branch, Riverside Pool, the east pool for lap swim at the downtown branch and online sign-up for group exercise classes.

The east branch’s locker rooms will remain closed for renovations.

CEO Paul Worstell says the YMCA and its employees are working hard to maintain the guidelines set forth by the CDC and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, and for this reason, some facilities, such as showers, will remain closed until further notice.

“Our priority is creating a safe environment,” Worstell said. “We are thankful for the support and guidance from Hancock Public Health.”

The hours for the downtown and east branches of the YMCA starting on Monday, June 8th are as follows.

Monday – Thursday 5am to 8pm
Friday – 5am to 7pm
Saturday – 9am to 4pm
Sunday – Closed

Get more on the Findlay Family YMCA here.

Get more on the reopening of Riverside Pool here. 

Findlay High School athletes recently were allowed to start training again under COVID-19 guidelines.

“We’re excited to have the kids back,” said Athletic Director says Nate Weihrauch.

He says the timing worked out well because the new outside weight room that Ben Roethlisberger helped out with has been completed.

“He loved the weight room here at Findlay High and he loves all the kids and it worked out well. I had the opportunity to text him earlier today and he loved it.”

Weihrauch says Roethlisberger donated all the weights, racks and dumbbells for the new outside weight room, which also has sand, where athletes can do sprint and agility work, and monkey bars.

With the outside weight room, Weihrauch says they wanted to create a different type of atmosphere to spark some enthusiasm in the kids.

Findlay High School is also thanking the Findlay Trojan Club and Findlay alum, 1985 graduate, Trojan wide receiver, Shane Helms and Helms and Son Excavating for all their work and time to make the project a huge success.

https://twitter.com/FHSAthletic/status/1268261252712722433

Tens of thousands more jobless claims were filed in Ohio last week.

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services says more than 34,000 people put in claims statewide last week, a drop of about 8,000 from the week before.

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March nearly 1.3 million Ohioans have applied for unemployment, which is more than the combined total of the three previous years.

The state has given out more than $3.5 billion to Ohioans who lost their jobs during the pandemic.

Click here for the ODJFS website.

Crews responded to a semi crash in northern Hancock County on Wednesday afternoon.

It appeared that the semi couldn’t handle the turn from Hancock County Road 140 onto Allen Township Road 114, south of North Baltimore, and crashed onto its side.

We were told on the scene that the driver was okay.

People gathered in front of the Hancock County Courthouse in downtown Findlay on Wednesday for a third straight day of protesting.

Chanting “we want peace officers, not police officers” a group of demonstrators marched up and down Main Street protesting George Floyd’s death and police violence against minorities.

The protesters say they plan to continue gathering and marching for the rest of the week.

The City of Findlay will be holding a diversity rally on Thursday.

One of the founders of Hanco EMS has died.

John Moore passed away on May 25th in Ft. Myers, Florida at the age of 80.

Current Hanco EMS Chief Rob Martin says Moore created a legacy for this community to have pre-hospital care and EMS services.

“He had a vision for what the needs were for EMS and we wouldn’t be here today if John Moore didn’t have that vision.”

Martin says Moore was a remarkable man and it was always nice to have him stop in over the years.

“And kind of give me the nod, like, we’re doing okay and we’re doing it the way he expected it to be done.”

Moore’s funeral service was held June 1st at Coldren Crates Funeral Home in Findlay and he was buried at Van Horn Cemetery in Amanda Township.

Read his full obituary here.

President Trump is looking for a new place to host the Republican National Convention, but Governor Mike DeWine says it likely won’t be Ohio.

The convention was supposed to be held in Charlotte, North Carolina, but Trump pulled out after city officials wouldn’t commit due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking on Fox News, DeWine said hosting the convention is “not something we would volunteer to do” because of the coronavirus threat posed by mass gatherings.

The RNC was held in Cleveland in 2016.

The City of Findlay will be holding a community diversity rally outside the municipal building on Thursday.

The event comes on the heels of people gathering in Findlay this week to protest the death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis Police.

Details on the community diversity rally are in the following news release from the city.

An informal gathering to discuss diversity, inclusion and unity will take place on Thursday June 4, 2020 from 12:00 – 1:00pm in Dorney Plaza. Mayor Christina Muryn will open the event and introduce members of the community to speak on these important issues.

This is an opportunity to show that Findlay is a welcoming community that values and celebrates the diversity that exists in our City. Experience has taught that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create an environment that delivers better results for everyone.

This event is a collective demonstration of peace that reinforces unity and working together to create better circumstances for all.

Though this event is exempt from the mass gathering limits, social distancing measures are required for this event.

1) Do not attend if you are ill or have been in contact with someone with COVID-19 in the last 14 days.
2) Wear a face covering
3) Avoid contact with others when possible
4) Try to maintain 6 feet distance when possible