Monthly Archives: February 2020

FCS Students Report Being Followed By White Van

The Findlay Police Department says it will be increasing patrols near Glenwood Middle School after some girls reported being followed by a white van.

Findlay City Schools sent a notification to district parents about the situation, saying three girls reported to the administration on Friday afternoon that they have been followed by a white van on four different occasions over the last three months.

The van was seen in the area around Glenwood Middle School and on Monroe Avenue.

The district is advising parents that if their child encounters a suspicious situation to notify the police and the school immediately so they have a record of the occurrence and can proceed accordingly.

SUV Slides Off Icy Road In Findlay And Overturns

Two people are okay after their SUV slid off on icy road and overturned in Findlay.

The crash happened at about 10:20 Friday morning on Crystal Avenue across from Owens Community College.

Police say the driver was going south on Crystal Avenue when her SUV slid off the road and flipped onto its side.

The driver and passenger were able to get out of the vehicle before first responders arrived.

Both were wearing their seat belt and were not injured in the crash.

Driving conditions have been less than ideal the last few days, with blowing snow covering roads and icy spots developing as well. (The video below is from Thursday)

Hancock Public Health Preparing For Possibility of Coronavirus Cases

Hancock Public Health says it’s working with the Ohio Department of Health and the CDC to stay apprised of the coronavirus situation and prepare for possible cases.

As of now, epidemiologist Chad Masters says the best way to protect yourself and others is to keep up with your daily prevention steps.

“We’re having people make sure they stay home when they’re sick just like they would with influenza, wash your hands and use proper cough and sneeze etiquette.”

Masters says, currently, the risk level for transmission remains low in the U.S; with 60 confirmed cases including 45 who acquired the virus abroad.

No confirmed cases have been reported in Hancock County or Ohio.

He says the flu continues to be the priority locally and the prevention steps are the same for both illnesses.

More information about coronavirus can be found on Hancock Public Health’s website and the Ohio Department of Health’s website.

Meantime, Governor Mike DeWine is asking for a community-wide effort to combat the threat of the coronavirus.

DeWine says he has ordered state agencies to take proactive and preventive measures to help the public limit their risk to a possible outbreak.

DeWine also asked for employers to be flexible with their workers when it comes to sick time for both themselves and their children.

Ohio Health Director Dr. Amy Acton also spoke, saying the public should not be scared but should be prepared by getting a flu shot and stocking up on medications.

Man Joins OSHP’s “Saved By The Belt” Club

The Ohio State Highway Patrol has welcomed another member into its “Saved By The Belt” Club after his seat belt saved him from potentially life-threatening injuries during a crash.

Details are in the following media release from the highway patrol.

Lima resident Joshua C. Fultz joined Ohio’s “Saved by the Belt” Club after his safety belt saved him from sustaining life-threatening injuries. The incident occurred on U.S. Route 30 in Allen County on February 8.

Ohio State Highway Patrol Lieutenant Timothy P. Grigsby, Lima Post commander, presented him with a “Saved by the Belt” certificate signed by Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Thomas J. Stickrath and Colonel Richard S. Fambro, Patrol superintendent.

“Joshua is a living testimony to the effectiveness of safety belts,” Lieutenant Grigsby said. “Everyone needs to buckle up every trip, every time.”

Provisional data from 2019 shows 457 people in Ohio were killed in traffic crashes where a safety belt was available, but not in use.

The “Saved by the Belt” Club is a joint effort by the Ohio Department of Public Safety and more than 400 Ohio law enforcement agencies. This club is designed to recognize people who have benefited from their decision to wear safety belts.

Joshua also received a “Saved by the Belt” license plate bracket.

Teens Steal Hearse With Casket Inside For Joyride

Columbus Police are looking for three people who stole a hearse from the Jerry Spears funeral home and took it for a joyride.

According to reports, the hearse was transporting a deceased person and was left idling outside the funeral home on West Broad Street when it was taken by three teens.

The suspects crashed into another vehicle and then pulled into a nearby school parking lot where they started doing donuts and then fled after hitting a utility pole.

Bob Spears, a former star baseball player at Ohio State, currently runs the family business and says the deceased in the hearse was scheduled for cremation, and their casket was not damaged.

Pedestrian Hit By Car In Store Parking Lot

The Findlay Police Department says a woman was injured when she was hit by a car in a Walmart parking lot.

It happened at about 4 p.m. Thursday at the Walmart on Trenton Avenue.

Police say Barbra Hohl, 78, was walking through the parking lot when Dorthy Phoenix, 63, backed out of a parking spot and struck her with her car’s rear bumper.

Barbra was knocked to the ground. She was taken to Blanchard Valley Hospital for head and back pain.

Police say no citations were issued because the incident was on private property.

Blowing Snow Causing Hazardous Driving Conditions

Blowing snow was causing treacherous driving conditions Thursday afternoon in the Findlay area, especially on State Route 37.

There were stretches of SR 37 a little south of SR 15 where it was virtually whiteout conditions at times.

Drivers are reminded to slow down and to give themselves plenty of stopping distance.

Hancock County was placed under a Level One Road Alert on Wednesday night as the snow started making the roads dangerous.

And then some more snow fell on Thursday but the bigger concern was the high winds causing blowing and drifting.

Thursday night is forecast to be mostly cloudy with a low of 18 and then Friday mostly cloudy and a high of 26.

OSHP, Sheriff’s Office Teaming Up On Distracted Driving Initiative

The Findlay Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office are teaming up to take distracted drivers off the road.

Details are in the following media release from the highway patrol.

The Findlay Post, and the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department will be conducting a Distracted Driving effort February 23rd-29th in Hancock County.

Last year, 95 traffic crashes were related to distracted driving which resulted in 1 person losing their life, and more than 32 were injured in Hancock County. Sending or receiving a text message takes a driver’s eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent of driving the length of an entire football field when traveling at 55 mph.

“Every time someone takes their eyes off the road – even for just a few seconds – they put their lives and the lives of others in danger,” said Lt. Matthew Crow Commander of the Findlay Post. “Distracted driving is unsafe and irresponsible. In a split second, its consequences can be devastating.”

In October of 2018, Ohio passed House Bill 95, a law which broadened what is considered distracted driving and increased the fine if it was a contributing factor to the commission of the driving violation.

Distracted driving is any non-driving activity with the potential to distract a person from the primary task of driving and increase the risk of crashing. Distractions can be visual, taking eyes off of the road; manual, taking hands off the wheel; or cognitive, taking the mind off driving. Texting while driving is an example that results in all three types of distraction.

As a reminder, Ohio law bans all electronic wireless communication device usage for drivers under 18. Texting while driving is illegal for all drivers and is a secondary offense for adults 18 and above.

During the course of the Distracted Driving effort the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Hancock County Sherriff’s Department will also enforce Ohio’s mandatory seatbelt law, and other crash causing violations.

Ohio Military Recruits Sworn In From Space

Dozens of Central Ohio military recruits are now enlisted following a special ceremony at Newark High School.

The recruits recited their oath of enlistment in the school’s auditorium, which was administered by U.S. Army Colonel Andrew Morgan, who is currently stationed on the International Space Station.

NASA helped set up the link between locations across the country and the station, which is in orbit 250-miles above the Earth.

The oath ceremony is part of a new Army initiative encouraging young people to get involved in STEM education to help them secure future employment.

Semi Crashes Into Brinkman’s Parking Lot On U.S. 68

A semi crashed into the parking lot of Brinkman’s on U.S. 68 south of Findlay on Thursday morning.

The semi was southbound when it went off the road and hit a porch of a house before continuing into the parking lot of Brinkman’s where it hit eight vehicles and narrowly missed a greenhouse worker.

None of the vehicles was occupied at the time and no one was injured.

Co-Owner Gene Brinkman says if the semi hadn’t hit the vehicles it would’ve ended up crashing into the greenhouse.

The crash is under investigation by the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office.

Strong winds had been blowing snow across U.S. 68 in spots on Thursday.