The Findlay Police Department says one teen was stabbed and another suffered a broken leg in a fight among a group of juveniles.

Police responded to the 1800 block of South Blanchard Street on Wednesday night for a male lying on the ground with a broken leg.

At the time police were arriving on the scene, a teen arrived at Blanchard Valley Hospital with a stab wound.

Police say their investigation revealed that an earlier altercation at the high school spilled over into a fight among four teens at Fort Findlay Playground.

One teen suffered a stab wound to the chest and another a broken leg.

Both were treated at BVH.

The incident remains under investigation.

(From the City of Findlay)

The Findlay Police Department has announced the hiring of four new Police Officers.  Sutton A. Flick, Trent M. Shoemaker, Mark R. Motil and Caden G. Lafferty were all sworn in by Mayor Christina Muryn on August 14, 2023 at 9:00 AM at the City of Findlay Training Center (224 W. Crawford St.).

The Findlay Fire Department has also announced the hiring of two new Firefighters.   Seth Lortz and Dylan Neff were all sworn in by Mayor Christina Muryn on August 14, 2023 at 9:00 AM at the City of Findlay Training Center (224 W. Crawford St.).

Flick, 32, is a graduate of Bowling Green High School and he attended Owens Community College working towards a degree in Criminal Justice. Flick previously served at the Forest Police Department as a Police Officer for one and a half years, served at Carey Police Department as a K9 handler and Police Officer for eight years, and also with the Wyandot County Sheriff’s Office as a K9 handler and Deputy for almost two years. Flick resides in Carey, OH with his family, and he will be assigned to the department’s Patrol Division.

Shoemaker, 37, is a graduate of Mohawk High School and he attended Tiffin University, graduating with a Bachelor Degree in Criminal Justice. Shoemaker is a United States Air Force veteran, where he served two deployments to the Middle East. Shoemaker previously served with the Wyandot County Sheriff’s Office as a Deputy for seven years. Shoemaker resides in Upper Sandusky, OH with his family, and he will be assigned to the department’s Patrol Division.

Motil, 21, is a graduate of the Public Safety program at Sentinel Career and Technology Center. He also attended Terra State Community College to begin working towards an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice. Motil previously served at the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office as a Corrections Officer for a year and half. Motil resides in Tiffin, OH with his wife, and he will be assigned to the department’s Patrol Division after attending and completing the Basic Peace Officer training classes this fall at Owens Community College in Perrysburg, OH.

Lafferty, 21, is a graduate of Arlington High School and he attended Easter Gateway Community College, graduating with an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice. Lafferty previously served with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office as a Dispatcher for two years. Lafferty resides in Arlington, OH with his family, and he will be assigned to the department’s Patrol Division after attending and completing the Basic Peace Officer training classes this fall at the Ohio State Highway Patrol Academy in Columbus, OH.

Lortz, 25, is a graduate of Upper Sandusky High School. He received his State of Ohio Paramedic certification from Rhodes State College and attended Apollo Career Center for his volunteer Firefighter certification. Lortz previously worked for Hanco EMS in Findlay and is a member of the Liberty Township Fire Department. Seth will report to the Ohio Fire Academy in Reynoldsburg, Ohio in September for Firefighter II training and certification. He resides in Findlay, OH.

Neff, 30, graduated from Bluffton High School. He currently holds State of Ohio Firefighter II and Emergency Medical Technician certifications, and is a member of the Upper Sandusky Fire Department. Dylan previously worked for the Ohio Department of Transportation as a Highway Technician and Schilling Propane as a service technician. Neff will complete his initial month of introductory 40-hour weeks with the Findlay Fire Department and be assigned to a shift the week of September 3. He resides in Upper Sandusky, OH.

The date has been announced for the 2023 Cops & Kids Findlay Halloween Parade presented by loanDepot.

The wildly popular annual event will be held on Tuesday, October 24^th at 7 p.m. as Findlay transforms into a Halloween wonderland.

The Cops & Kids Findlay Halloween Parade will travel up South Main Street from south to north.

The parade will begin at Sixth Street and make its way up to Lima Street, creating an enchanting Halloween atmosphere that captivates participants and onlookers alike.

Organizations, community groups, families, and businesses are invited to participate in the Cops & Kids Findlay Halloween Parade.

Early bird parade registration opens September 11 while standard parade registration opens October 1.

Parade registration closes on October 17 which is earlier than in the past to facilitate earlier packet delivery to registrants.

To register your entry, and for much more information about the parade, visit the official parade website by clicking here.

Video from last year’s parade is below.

Findlay City Schools bus route information for the upcoming school year is now available.

The school district posted on its social media that parents and students can find their bus route information on the district website.

The school district is reminding students to be at their bus stop at least five minutes prior to the stated arrival time.

Pick-up and drop-off times are approximated and may need adjusting during the first few weeks of school, the district said.

Bus stop times then become more consistent for the remainder of the year.

Anyone with questions can call the school district transportation department at 419-425-8271.

The first day for students is Tuesday, August 22^nd.

Click here for the full school district calendar.

The president of Owens Community College will be delivering her State of the College address.

In the speech, President Dione Somerville will highlight the college’s newly-adopted five year strategic plan and what to expect in the 2023-24 academic year.

President Somerville will deliver the address at the Findlay campus on Monday, August 21^st at 9 a.m., and at the Toledo campus that same day at 2 p.m.

A developer’s plan to put up an apartment building in a Findlay neighborhood hit a snag.

In July, The Findlay City Planning Commission approved plans for a three-story, 24-unit apartment building on West McPherson Avenue.

The building would be located on the south side of McPherson Avenue a little east of Hurd Avenue.

The planning commission approved the plans with conditions.

The conditions were that the site gets approval by city council to be rezoned from O-1 Office/Institution to M-2 Multi-Family High Density, and that variances are provided from the Board of Zoning Appeals to increase the allowed total units from 16 to 24 and the reduction in parking from 53 to 41.

At the August 1^st city council meeting, council approved the rezoning of the site from O-1 Office/Institution to M-2 Multi-Family High Density.

Next, the site needed a variance from the Board of Zoning Appeals to increase the allowed total units from 16 to 24 and the reduction in parking from 53 to 41.

However, the BZA voted 2-1 against granting the variance.

The plan could still proceed at the lower total units number.

The Findlay Police Department said two vehicles were stolen from a business and one led officers on a short pursuit before crashing.

Police responded to Marvin Motors at 600 North Main Street around 9:30 Tuesday night on the report of a breaking and entering.

The owner of the business called police and said he was following two vehicles that were stolen.

Officers located the first vehicle on Defiance Avenue and attempted to pull it over but it sped off and crashed into a residence in the 500 block of North Cory Street.

Police said the driver, Dwayne Hubbard, 58, of Toledo, was arrested and taken to the Hancock County Jail on charges of receiving stolen property, breaking and entering and failure to comply/fleeing.

The second stolen vehicle was located abandoned in the 500 block of West Street.

Police said three males were involved in the vehicle thefts and two of the suspects were still at large.

(From the Ohio Department of Transportation)

The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) District 1 invites the public to review a prerecorded, online presentation regarding a proposed safety improvement that will construct an overpass at the intersection of State Route 15 and County Road 193 near Vanlue in Hancock County.

“The need for this project, and the State Route 15 overpass projects currently under construction, arose due to the history of crashes at the crossings,” said Chris Hughes, ODOT District 1 deputy director. “These overpasses would not be possible without steady local support to improve safety.”

The proposed project would remove access to State Route 15 by constructing an overpass bridge on County Road 193. ODOT is proposing the project to control access to the divided highway, improve safety, and reduce crashes.

Construction is tentatively expected to begin in 2025.

County Road 193 was selected for an overpass in support of public safety and economic access. County Road 193 allows access to the area southwest of State Route 15 for emergency responders. Also, an overpass here will provide farmers with a location to safely cross State Route 15 and deliver their commodities to the grain elevator.

The project is expected to cost approximately $6.3 million, including design, right-of-way acquisition, and construction costs. Funding for the construction of the overpass is provided through ODOT’s Highway Safety Improvement Program, the Hancock County Engineer, and the County Engineers Association of Ohio (CEAO). The funding application was sponsored and submitted in partnership with the Hancock County Engineer. The safety funding is possible due to increases made under Governor DeWine, who secured additional funding through the increased gas user fee.

“We wanted to accomplish three primary goals: improve safety, maintain access for emergency services, and provide good connectivity for our agri-business community to deliver their commodities,” said Doug Cade, Hancock County engineer. “With the close proximity of the interchanges at State Route 330 and State Route 37, an overpass accomplished these goals.”

A pre-recorded presentation will be published online and will explain the overall proposed project and present the initial design. The intention of the presentation is to introduce the project and gather community input. The presentation and all materials regarding the project will be available beginning Aug. 15, 2023, and will remain, for an indefinite time, at the following website www.transportation.ohio.gov/Hancock193.

The public is asked to review the presentation and project materials and provide feedback. Comments regarding the project may be submitted on the website through the comment submittal form or by direct contact at the number below. 

Two overpass projects along State Route 15 are currently underway and scheduled to be finished in 2023.

One of the overpasses is at County Road 180 over State Route 15 near Findlay and the other is at County Road 169 and State Route 15 near Vanlue.

The projects are designed to improve safety and reduce crashes at the intersections.

(above pic courtesy of ODOT)

The Findlay Police Department said illegal drugs were found during a traffic stop.

Police initiated a traffic stop on a car at Northridge Drive near Interstate Court at around 1:30 Tuesday morning.

Police said the driver, Cory Taylor, 48, was found to have an active warrant out of Lucas County.

Police say a search of the vehicle and of Taylor resulted in 38.1 grams of cocaine being found.

Taylor was arrested and booked at the Hancock County Jail for his active warrant and for possession of cocaine, a first-degree felony.

Hancock Public Health will be holding an Overdose Awareness Day event at Dorney Plaza in Findlay.

The event will be held on Thursday, August 17^th from 2 to 4.

We spoke with the health department’s Sharona Bishop about the event.

As Sharona mentioned, the event will include overdose survivors sharing their stories in one-on-one conversations.

The health department’s Mobile Health Clinic will also be there offering wellness checks and testing.

In April we spoke with Sharona at a Second Chance Awareness event, and you can get more on that by clicking here.