A Wyandot County Sheriff’s Office deputy was killed in a crash in Pickaway County.

The crash happened Thursday morning at the intersection of State Route 56 and State Route 104.

The Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office said Deputy Daniel J. Kin was driving a Wyandot County Sheriff’s Office transport van with an inmate in it when the crash happened.

The sheriff’s office said Kin was traveling north on State Route 104 and a pickup truck was going east on State Route 56 when the collision occurred in the intersection.

Deputy Kin was flown to a Columbus hospital where he died.

The inmate was taken to a hospital and is in custody.

The driver of the pickup and a child were taken to hospitals as well.

This crash remains under investigation by the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office.

“Sheriff Hafey and the rest of the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office would like to express our condolences to the family of Deputy Daniel Kin. Our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with Deputy Kin’s family and the Wyandot County Sheriff’s Office,” the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office said on its Facebook page.

The Wyandot County Sheriff’s Office posted the following on its Facebook page, “It is with great sorrow and a heavy heart that we announce the unexpected passing of our dear friend and colleague, Deputy Daniel J. Kin. Dan served Seneca County before joining the Wyandot County Sheriff’s Office in October of 2021. Dan was such a positive person with an awesome smile. He will be greatly missed.”

An SUV crashed into a power pole along Tiffin Avenue in Findlay.

The rollover crash happened at around 2:40 Thursday afternoon in the 1300 block of Tiffin Avenue a little west of Woodworth Drive.

The Findlay Police Department says the SUV was eastbound when the driver failed to maintain control of the vehicle, went left of center across the westbound lanes of traffic and the vehicle rolled and hit the pole and came to rest in a yard.

The two occupants of the SUV were being attended to by first responders and were transported to Blanchard Valley Hospital with suspected minor injuries.

Tiffin Avenue was initially closed in both directions but one lane in either direction was soon opened.

The crash snapped a power pole and left it dangling, so AEP crews had to respond to replace the pole, and that caused around 1,300 AEP customers in the area to be without power for a few hours.

Three people were arrested after a drug task force executed a search warrant at a Fostoria residence.

The Seneca County Drug Task Force, along with other agencies, searched 1101 South Wood Street on Thursday.

The task force says the search of the residence yielded suspected fentanyl, criminal tools, drug abuse instruments and drug paraphernalia.

The three people arrested were Daywayne Chancey, 42, Sandra Mason, 38, and Calvin Chancey, 61.

All charges are pending the conclusion of the entire investigation and the results of lab testing.

“This property has been problematic for some time,” said Fostoria Police Chief Gabe Wedge.

“After an extensive, time-consuming investigation, we are pleased to be able to address our citizens’ complaints.”

Chief Wedge added that such investigations are paramount to improving the quality of life in the community.

The Ohio House and Senate have approved additional voting requirements and other election changes in Ohio.

The bill would require Ohioans to have a photo ID to cast their vote in person, limit drop boxes to one per each county’s board of elections and shorten the timeframe for mail-in ballots to be received.

Republicans in support of the changes say they’re necessary to prevent voter fraud, while Democrats say the changes will only add more barriers for Ohioans when they vote.

The bill now heads to Governor DeWine who will either sign the bill or veto it.

A gas leak shut down a Findlay road on Wednesday night.

Bright Road was shut down from Tiffin Avenue down to Greendale Avenue due to the gas leak.

A gas line was struck by crews working in the area of the 800 block of Bright Road.

People were asked to avoid the area until the leak was fixed and the road reopens.

The City of Findlay announced at around 9:45 Thursday morning that the road had reopened.

Fallen Bluffton Police Officer Dominic Francis was recognized on the floor of the Ohio House of Representatives on Wednesday.

State Rep. Jon Cross, of Kenton, spoke about Officer Francis, saying he served 19 years in law enforcement and is survived by his wife and children who were in attendance at the Ohio Statehouse.

Cross said Officer Francis was a dedicated public servant who was awarded Officer of the Year twice, the Chief’s Leadership Award and the Bluffton Police Department’s Life-Saving Award.

Cross also mentioned Dominic’s work with his alma mater of Cory-Rawson High School.

Cross says a bill to rename Interstate 75 between mile markers 139 and 143 the Officer Dominic Francis Memorial Highway has been added to omnibus House Bill 578.

“We do this because we are going to make Officer Francis a part of history by recognizing him here on the Ohio House floor today.”

Officer Francis was struck and killed on I-75 on March 31^st as he was placing stop sticks on the highway to stop a car that was fleeing from police.

The three suspects who were arrested in connection with his death are scheduled to go on trial in 2023.

An organization is working again this year to give some area families the Best Christmas Ever.

The charity Best Christmas Ever helps out families who have fallen on hard times at no fault of their own.

This weekend the organization will be surprising four Findlay-area families with a custom and unique Best Christmas Ever that includes a large, life-altering gift.

Last December, the organization surprised three local families and video of one of the surprises can be seen below.

Jaclyn Pessel, of Best Christmas Ever, says this wouldn’t be possible without the generous community we live in.

“You get more out of giving than you do receiving, and you can see by how many people were here that people want to give and to help and there’s so many good people out there.”

You can learn more about Best Christmas Ever by checking out their website here and Findlay Facebook page here.

Gilmore Jasion Mahler’s Wanderlust, a signature benefit event for Flag City Honor Flight (FCHF), raised $233,676 in support of the nonprofit’s mission to take area veterans to Washington, D.C. to see the memorials built in their honor.

Wanderlust: A Stroll Through Paris was held on October 28 at the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Findlay.

It featured a live auction and raise the paddle appeal known as “Fill the Flight,” with the goal of filling every seat on the plane.

Auctioneer Trent Farthing of Key Realty donated his talents for the evening. By the end of the night, the generous donors and event sponsors had given enough to fill not one, but two planes full of veterans and part of a third flight.

Flag City Honor Flight officials say the total cost per trip is approximately $100,000. All proceeds from Wanderlust go directly to the nonprofit, which is part of the National Honor Flight Network.

Funded solely by donations, veterans don’t pay a penny to make the trip. FCHF paused flights in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. This year’s flights were June 7, September 13, and November 1. The November 1 flight, Flag City Honor Flight’s first ever all Vietnam-era flight, had a generous corporate sponsor, Ohio Logistics, covering the cost of the journey.

GJM’s Wanderlust will help cover the cost of flights in 2023 that will take veterans of all eras (World War II, Korea, and Vietnam) to our nation’s capital.

“We established this event back in 2016, hopeful we could make an impact for Flag City Honor Flight,” says GJM Managing Partner Kevin Gilmore. “This year’s event was the fourth we’ve hosted and now brings the total raised for Flag City Honor Flight from GJM’s Wanderlust to just shy of half a million dollars. We’re so grateful to all our donors, sponsors, and attendees for making that possible. Safe to say, Wanderlust is making an impact for Flag City Honor Flight and our veterans.”

“We’re so appreciative of Gilmore Jasion Mahler for their commitment to helping Flag City Honor Flight to honor our veterans with a trip to Washington, D.C.,” said Honor Flight Executive Director Bob Weinberg.” Thanks to Wanderlust, we know hundreds more will make the journey in 2023.”

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says a man crashed his SUV while fleeing from deputies and other law enforcement.

The sheriff’s office says a deputy attempted to pull over the SUV for an equipment violation at around 9:12 Tuesday night in McComb.

The sheriff’s office says the SUV fled at a high rate of speed, running stop signs in McComb and striking a vehicle before entering Putnam County.

In Putnam County, the vehicle drove off the roadway and through fields in an attempt to elude the pursuing law enforcement units.

The SUV eventually crashed on State Route 613 near Township Road 116 in Hancock County and became engulfed in flames.

The sheriff’s office says the driver, Dana Ryan, 30, of Lima, was located in a field near the SUV.

He was taken to Blanchard Valley Hospital for unknown injuries, according to the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office says Ryan was issued citations for reckless operation, failure to stop after an accident, no driver license, failing to stop at a stop sign and no turn signal, two headlights required, and failure to wear a seat belt.

The sheriff’s office says additional charges will be filed at the completion of their investigation.

Liberty-Benton Local Schools says its school buses are getting a new look.

All school buses in the state are now required to have the word STOP in reflective red lettering on the back doors. The current lettering was black and not reflective.

Liberty-Benton says it has received its ODOT-supplied letters and has begun the replacement process.

“This will make our buses easier to see at night and it looks pretty cool too!” the school district said.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Ohio Department of Transportation, and Ohio Department of Education have partnered to create new highly-reflective “STOP” decals for the rear of every school bus in the state.

Each of the state’s nearly 20,000 school buses are now being outfitted with the new decals which make buses more visible in both daylight and at nighttime.

The decals are being printed by ODOT’s Sign Shop and are being provided to schools at no cost.