3/30/17 – 5:03 A.M.
Fire heavily damaged a Findlay home Wednesday night. Firefighters responded to a house at 810 West Sandusky Street around 8:45 p.m. When firefighters arrived on the scene, the home was fully engulfed in flames. Two people were inside when the blaze started, they were able to escape safely.
Investigators haven’t determined the cause of the fire yet.
03/29/17 – 11:27 P.M.
Mayor Lydia Mihalik gave her State of the City speech Wednesday night. She said that Findlay has been doing great things and won awards but that doesn’t mean we can stop.
Mihalik said that the city has done well in building the economy. She said that the local government has been invested in seeing Findlay’s growth.
The mayor added that continuing to grow the economy needs to be the focus. She said that we must continue to look towards the future.
Mihalik said that anybody interested in joining discussions on what to do with the city’s future should let her know.
03/29/17 – 5:13 P.M.
The Hancock County Common Pleas court found a Findlay man guilty in connection with an overdose death in 2016. The Courier reports the jury found 28-year-old Nathan Brown guilty of furnishing another with drugs and involuntary manslaughter. They returned the verdict around 4:20 p.m. after about 4 hours of deliberation.
Brown was accused of causing the death of 24-year-old Jarrod Barger on January 10, 2016. He provided Barger with a lethal dose of heroin which contained fentanyl.
Judge Reginald Routson continued with the sentencing.
03/29/17 – 4:45 P.M.
Three students from the Millstream Career Center put on a presentation on teen dating violence. John Reid was one of the students and explained that teen dating violence is like domestic abuse.
He added that it’s more than just physical abuse. Teen dating violence can be emotional and mental abuse as well.
The students created shirts and bands for their “Stop the Silence” program. Ryan Shorter said that they even designed shirts to raise awareness.
Caleb Wallace added that the shirts sold well.
The boys are donating the funds from the shirts to Open Arms Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Services.
They will hold the presentation again in April for the Skills USA State competition.
3/29/17 – 9:41 A.M.
In the Health Outcomes section of the survey, three other area counties ranked in the top 15. Wood County was 8th, Henry County was 11th, and Hancock County was 14th. Only 15 percent of Hancock County residents are in poor or fair health.
The survey also ranks health factors. Putnam County has the lowest rate of adult smokers, at 15 percent. Hancock County had a low adult obesity rate compared to most other counties. The obesity rate clocked in at 31 percent.
Hancock County also has one of the highest rates of “access to exercise opportunities.”
MORE: Eight County Comparison
3/29/17 – 6:59 A.M.
A teenager accused in a deadly Fostoria stabbing appeared in court Tuesday. The Courier reports 18-year-old Arlando Crowe of Fostoria pleaded not guilty to obstructing justice. A judge continued his bond at $500,000.
Police have charged 17-year-old Christian Brown with murder in the death of 18-year-old D’Andre Gehring on January 25.
The incident happened in the parking lot of the Fostoria Townhouses at 1202 Beier Drive.
3/29/17 – 5:39 A.M.
The Fostoria City School district has suspended a staff member while police investigate alleged inappropriate communication with a student. Superintendent Andrew Sprang confirmed he suspended Nelson Cousin while the investigation continues. The Review-Times reports Cousin is an assistant track and cross country coach in the district.
The alleged communication happened in June of 2016. Police Chief Keith Loreno tells the newspaper the communication involved a student-athlete. Loreno added they’re looking to see if the alleged communication was face-to-face or if there was contact on social media.
Police hadn’t filed charges as of Tuesday night.
MORE: Review-Times
3/29/17 – 5:26 A.M.
A two-car crash injured three people on Findlay’s north side Tuesday night. The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says the collision happened in the 12000 block of Hancock County Road 99 near the CSX railroad tracks around 10 p.m.
41-year-old Saravana Kumar Aluru was driving east when he hit an unoccupied SUV that stopped behind another car with two flat tires. Hanco Ambulance took Aluru and his two passengers to Blanchard Valley Hospital for treatment.
Deputies continue to investigate the crash.
3/29/17 – 5:09 A.M.
The trial of a Findlay man charged in a deadly January 2016 overdose continued Tuesday. The Courier reports the jury learned about text messages between 28-year-old Nathan Brown and Jarrod Barger. On Monday, Brown’s lawyer asked Judge Reginald Routson to exclude the texts from evidence. Routson allowed the messages as long as irrelevant texts were off the record.
The texts allegedly show Barger asked Brown to deliver him heroin on January 10 of 2016. Prosecutors say Brown sent someone else who brought the wrong amount of the drug. Further texts allegedly show Brown apologizing for the mistake. Texts from Barger stopped around 10:30 p.m. the night he died.
Jarrod Barger’s brother Michael also testified Tuesday. He told the jury he found Jarrod dead on the floor of his home. He added Jarrod had a spoon and a small swab of cotton next to him. Heroin addicts use cotton as a filter.
The prosecution will call at least one more witness Wednesday before resting their case. Brown faces involuntary manslaughter and corrupting another with drugs charges.
MORE: The Courier
3/29/17 – 4:34 A.M.
Wood County authorities are investigating a Bowling Green State University professor accused of keeping inappropriate material on his school-owned computer. The school suspended Alan Atalah yesterday after erotic stories about children and animals were found on his laptop. Atalah is a professor of technology, architecture and applied engineering.