In a news release from Detective Sergeant, Jason Seem of the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, authorities arrested Brian L. Ziessler (65 years of age) for the murder of Sherri Lynn Ziessler. Brian was taken into custody without incident and is currently incarcerated in the Hancock County Justice Center. The investigation is ongoing and no additional information will be released.

The sheriff’s office says it received a 911 call  Monday morning, November 15 and responding deputies found that Sherri Ziessler, 59, suffered multiple gunshot wounds.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office is being assisted in the investigation by the Findlay Police Department, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Lucas County Coroner’s Office.

Photo courtesy Hancock County Sheriff’s Office.

Winter is just around the corner and the Ohio Department of Transportation is still in need of snow plow drivers.

ODOT District 1 will be holding a hiring event for snow plow drivers on December, 2nd.

Across district 1’s eight counties, ODOT is still looking for approximately 14 seasonal highway technicians to round out the snow and ice team.

To find more drivers, a hiring event will be held on Thursday, December 2nd, from noon to 5 at the Hardin County maintenance garage, 13052 U.S. 68 in Kenton.

The biggest need is on the eastern side of the district, especially in Hardin and Wyandot counties.

The district hopes to find drivers to fill all the positions below:

– 4 positions in Hardin County
– 4 positions in Wyandot County
– 2 positions in Hancock County
– 2 positions in Putnam County
– 1 position in Defiance County
– 1 position in Paulding County

During the hiring event, applicants will complete interviews along with physical abilities tests and a driving record review.

Applicants should bring their driver’s license, and if possible, complete the online application prior to the event.

Learn more about the open positions and apply in advance at https://tinyurl.com/WinterSeasonalD1.

Applicants who are unable to attend the hiring event should call 419-999-6819.

Applicants must have a valid Class A or B CDL with tanker endorsement, a good driving record, and submit to a drug screen and background check.

A typical work week is 40 hours – more for snow and ice events. However, on-call and part-time options may be available.

The pay is $18.59 an hour. Seasonal drivers can expect to work from December through March.

Previous experience plowing snow is not necessary. Training is available for applicants who meet the basic requirements.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says a homeowner stopped a woman from burglarizing their house.

It happened at a house at 17442 State Route 12, between Findlay and Arcadia, at around 6 a.m. Monday.

A deputy responded to the address on the report of a burglary in progress and arrived on the scene to find a woman sitting on the floor of the garage.

The woman was taken into custody and identified as 20-year-old Adrienne Trice, formerly of Findlay.

The sheriff’s office says the woman entered the home through a window that she broke out with a large rock.

The sheriff’s office says the woman was stopped by the homeowner of the house.

Trice was taken to the Hancock County Jail on burglary charges.

Some area high school football teams have been crowned regional champions and are now are on their way to the state semifinals.

The regional champions are one win away from playing for a state championship in Canton.

The Ottawa-Glandorf Titans defeated Elyria Catholic by a score of 31-6 on Saturday

The 11-3 Titans will now play 13-0 Kirtland in Clyde at 7 o’clock Saturday night in the Division V State Semifinals.

Carey (13-1) defeated Liberty Center 31-7 on Saturday and will now take on New Middletown Springfield (13-1) at Euclid Community Stadium Saturday night at 7 in the Division VI State Semifinals.

See all the state semifinals matchups by clicking here.

The Findlay Police Department says a pedestrian was hit by a car while trying to cross a road against the “Don’t Walk” signal.

It happened at the intersection of West Trenton Avenue and Broad Avenue at 11:21 Sunday morning.

Police say Alexander Conners, 28, of North Baltimore, was crossing West Trenton at Broad Avenue when he was struck by a car that was turning eastbound onto West Trenton from Broad Avenue.

Police say the driver of the car had a green turn arrow and that Conners crossed against the “Don’t Walk” signal.

Conners was taken to Blanchard Valley Hospital with minor injuries.

He was issued a citation for disobeying a traffic control device.

The trial for the man accused of shooting a state trooper in Findlay has been scheduled.

Court records show Robert Tramaine Hathorn’s jury trial will begin on Monday, January 31st in Hancock County Common Pleas Court.

The 42-year-old from Muskegon, Michigan was previously indicted by a Hancock County Grand Jury on six felony charges, including felonious assault on a peace officer, in connection with an altercation with a state trooper that left the trooper with a gunshot wound.

At his arraignment on October 22nd, Hathorn pleaded not guilty to the six charges in the indictment.

His bond is set at $250,000 cash or surety with no 10 percent allowed.

He would not be released on bond without a hearing to determine the conditions of his release.

The Hancock County Prosecutor’s Office says the judge is considering its motion for no bond.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol says Hathorn struggled with a trooper during a traffic stop on October 6th along Interstate 75 in Findlay and the trooper’s gun went off, striking the trooper in the lower body.

Hathorn was found the following day in the Blanchard River after an extensive search involving various police agencies.

The Highway Patrol said Trooper Josef Brobst was released from the hospital on October 9th and was continuing his recovery at home.

Hancock County health officials are concerned that COVID cases have increased for the third straight week.

Hancock Public Health is reporting 347 new cases, 22 new hospitalizations and three new deaths for the week of November 12th through the 18th.

There were 446 active cases as of Thursday, an increase of 33.5 percent since last month.

Hancock County Health Commissioner Karim Baroudi says local communities are still experiencing high transmission of the virus, and that all metrics, including new hospital admissions and deaths increased over the last seven days.

He says the seven-day average clearly shows an increasing slope after a two-week slow down in late October.

Hancock Public Health is providing the following tips to help you and your family have a safe holiday season.

– Get vaccinated or get a booster if eligible
– Take precautions indoors
– Choose outdoor spaces when possible
– Stay home if you are feeling sick
– If you are hosting a holiday gathering at home, it may be helpful to communicate with your guests in advance about your COVID-19 ground rules and the precautions you are taking
– Remember that the probability of encountering someone with the disease and the risk of contracting the virus is still high

Hancock Public Health said Friday that 49.6 percent of county residents have had at least one dose of the COVID vaccine.

The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation Board of Trustees approved more than a million dollars in grants at its November board meeting.

The $1,035,133 total includes 15 responsive grants, four president’s discretionary grants and 36 donor advised fund grants.

“The funds awarded are the result of the generosity of hundreds of philanthropists in our community,” said Brian Treece, President & CEO of the Foundation.

“In nearly 30 years, we’ve awarded more than $65 million. We are grateful for the community’s continued support.”

Among the grants awarded, the City Mission of Findlay was awarded $50,000 to support two Life Recovery Advocates for clients.

Christian Clearing House was awarded $10,000 to assist with the cost of oxygen for COVID-19 patients who don’t have insurance or Medicaid coverage.

The Humane Society & SPCA of Hancock County was awarded $4,500 to assist with costs of spaying/neutering 100 feral or semi-feral cats, the numbers of which have increased quickly due to the pause in veterinary procedures as a result of the pandemic.

You can go over the full list of grants and learn more about the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation by clicking here.

Ohio’s new congressional district map has cleared the Republican-controlled state legislature at a breakneck pace and is headed to GOP Governor Mike DeWine, who is under pressure to veto it.

The map’s latest iteration emerged late Monday and passed through two committees and two chambers in less than three days.

Because it lacks Democratic support, it is on track to last only four of the 10 years until the next census, which provides the population data needed for the map-drawing process.

Republicans call the new map competitive, constitutional and not unduly favorable to either party.

Democrats, voting-rights groups and scholars say the map is gerrymandered.

The City of Findlay Christmas Tree was put into place on Friday morning.

You may have seen the 45 foot tall blue spruce being transported on the roads in downtown Findlay before arriving at the Findlay Municipal Building.

The city says this is the biggest Christmas Tree they’ve ever had, and it appears to be as tall, if not taller than the municipal building.

The city thanks John and Joanne (Smith) Davis for the tree and Miller Rigging for help in getting the tree to Dorney Plaza.

Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn will light the tree during a ceremony on Friday, November 26th at 6 p.m.

Millstream welding and engineering students designed a topper for the tree as the mayor describes in her tweet below.