LOCAL 12: Tri-State Regional News

Ohio governor wants to end ban on some jobs for freed felons

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:02:38 -0500

STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (AP) — Gov. John Kasich says it's wrong that felons who have served their time aren't able to work in certain professions.

Kasich says he's pushing to reform Ohio law to allow felons to do jobs such as cutting hair and driving trucks that they're not allowed to do now.

Kasich made the pitch for these changes in his State of the State speech Tuesday in Steubenville.

He and Republican lawmakers changed Ohio's sentencing laws last year to keep more non-violent offenders out of prison, where they're more likely to pick up bad habits that could lead to new crimes.

Kasich says the state also needs to crack down on human trafficking, calling it a scourge in the state.

Kentucky Suspect Caught Covered in Chocolate and Peanut Butter

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:58:54 -0500

Every child's dream is to roam in the fictitious Willy Wonka factory. But one Kentucky man allegedly turned a small-town grocery store into his personal candy shop because of his sweet tooth.

Andrew Allen Michael Toothman allegedly admitted to breaking into the grocery store while wearing nothing but a pair of black boots. He then smeared chocolate and peanut butter all over his body, police say. The 22-year-old man was arrested for burglary, criminal mischief and indecent exposure.

Kentucky State troopers were dispatched to a complaint at the Food World IGA in Neon, KY, last week. Workers at the grocery store told authorities that Toothman was naked and had broken into the store. Upon arriving onto the scene, another trooper found Toothman completely nude wearing only a pair of black boots inside the store. The trooper said Toothman had wiped peanut butter and chocolate all over his body.

Troopers say the front door was shattered, and Toothman may have entered through that door. According to a police report, Toothman apparently spelled out "Sorry" on the floor with Nyquil. Adding to the sticky mess, Toothman allegedly fired off several fire extinguishers, adding another ingredient to his concoction. Peanut butter and chocolate were also smeared on the floor and throughout the manager's office.

Store manager David Whitaker told The Associated Press that Toothman caused an estimated $1,500 in damages. Whitaker also said it appeared Toothman spread Skippy Natural peanut butter and chocolate on himself after entering the manager's office. "He had sat down in my chair and his backside was covered in chocolate and peanut butter," said Whitaker. "My chair is out beside the Dumpster."

Judge orders redo of legislative redistricting

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:58:35 -0500

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A judge has ruled that Kentucky lawmakers can't implement newly redrawn legislative districts.

Franklin County Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd made that ruling Tuesday afternoon in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of newly redrawn district boundaries.

Shepherd also set Friday as a new deadline for legislative candidates to file to run in this year's elections.

House Republicans unhappy with the outcome of the legislative redistricting battle filed a lawsuit in January challenging the constitutionality of newly drawn boundaries, claiming they favor Democrats. A Senate Democrat displaced in the redistricting process joined the lawsuit, which contends that the new legislative districts could have been better balanced by population and that they could have been drawn in a way would have required fewer splits in counties and precincts.

Indiana Man Arrested for Trying to Steal Woman's Dentures

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:57:00 -0500

NEW CASTLE, Ind. (AP) — An eastern Indiana man faces a battery charge for a allegedly trying to pull a woman's dentures out of her mouth.

The Star Press of Muncie reports that 51-year-old John R. Dicken of New Castle was arrested early Sunday outside the New Castle home of a female acquaintance.

City patrolman Justin R. Wardlow said the woman told him that Dicken "grabbed her by the face and attempted to rip out her false teeth prior to officers arriving."

Dicken was charged Monday with battery resulting in bodily injury, resisting law enforcement, public intoxication and possession of paraphernalia.

The New Castle man was also charged with possession of marijuana. He remained jailed Tuesday at the Henry County Jail on a $14,350 bond.

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Information from: The Star Press, http://www.thestarpress.com

Doctor sues town after arrest over ticket dispute

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:56:23 -0500

HAMMOND, Ind. (AP) — A northern Indiana doctor is suing Merrillville and two police officers whom he contends violated his rights by arresting him after he questioned a parking ticket he received while responding to an emergency at a hospital.

The lawsuit by Dr. Elian Shepherd was filed in Lake Superior Court in December and moved to the U.S. District Court in Hammond on Feb. 2 at the request of defense attorney Elizabeth Knight. Asked for comment, Knight says she will defend the case in court.

Shepherd contends it is common for doctors responding to emergencies to park at the doors of Methodist Hospital-Southlake Campus. He says when he questioned the ticket, a police officer verbally and physically abused him, injuring his shoulder. He is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

Widow threatens legal action to regain custody of exotic animals

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:38:00 -0500

ZANESVILLE, Ohio (AP) — The widow of a suicidal Ohio man who released dozens of exotic animals that were subsequently killed by authorities is threatening to take legal action as she fights for custody of five surviving creatures.

The Columbus zoo began caring for three leopards, two primates and a bear under state-issued quarantine after the October animal escape near Zanesville. One of the leopards was euthanized 10 days ago after it was struck by a door lowering between two enclosures.

The Times Recorder in Zanesville reports an attorney for Marian Thompson wrote to the Ohio Department of Agriculture after the incident, demanding a previously requested appeal hearing on the quarantine order and medical testing to prove the animals don't need to be quarantined.

A spokeswoman said the department was reviewing the letter.

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Information from: Times Recorder, http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com

Cleveland to give Browns $5.8M for stadium repairs

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:31:48 -0500

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland's City Council has approved giving $5.8 million to the Browns to help fix the football team's 12-year-old, city-owned stadium.

The Plain Dealer reports the council on Monday approved the payment using money from a tax on alcohol and tobacco sales.

The Browns lease the stadium, and the agreement requires the city to pay $850,000 annually for major improvements.

But the team's general counsel says that's not enough to cover routine work. The Browns want to use the larger payment to refurbish seats and fix up concrete inside and outside the weather-battered facility.

Mayor Frank Jackson's chief of staff says the city confirmed that the repairs were needed and reviewed the planned fixes.

Some officials are worried about funding such maintenance after 2015, when the countywide tax runs out.

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Information from: The Plain Dealer, http://www.cleveland.com

Body found in cave near where man went missing

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:30:54 -0500

LEAVENWORTH, Ind. (AP) — Authorities are working to recover a body discovered in a cave at a state forest along the Ohio River in southern Indiana, about 30 miles west of Louisville.

Indiana Department of Natural Resources spokesman Phil Bloom says the body was spotted Sunday by some spelunkers inside one of the many caves in Harrison-Crawford State Forest. That's the same general area where authorities searched four months ago for 25-year-old caving enthusiast Kevin Eve of Georgetown.

Eve was last seen Oct. 1 and his car was found in the state forest two days later.

Bloom says the body found Sunday is in a remote location of a cave. He says conservation officers have confirmed there is a body there and are working to recover it.

Woman's body found on roadway in Louisville

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:30:25 -0500

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A woman's body has been found on a roadway in Louisville police are conducting a death investigation.

MetroSafe dispatch told WAVE-TV that the body was reported on New Cut Road at the Gene Snyder Freeway at around 5:30 Tuesday morning.

Homicide detectives were called to the scene to investigate, but police haven't said yet whether they suspect foul play.

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Information from: WAVE-TV, http://www.wave3.com

MTV 'Teen Mom' star pleads guilty, awaits sentence

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:29:57 -0500

ANDERSON, Ind. (AP) — A star of the MTV reality show "Teen Mom" has pleaded guilty to felony possession of a controlled substance and admitted to violating probation.

The Herald Bulletin reports Madison Circuit Judge David Happe told 21-year-old Amber Portwood of Anderson she will find out Thursday whether she will be accepted into a drug court rehabilitation program that would eventually allow the charges to be dismissed. If not, she faces up to five years in prison.

Portwood was arrested Dec. 19 while meeting with probation officers for alleged probation violations, including failing to deposit $10,000 into a college trust fund for her daughter, failing to submit to drug tests and not getting her GED or completing anger management classes. She is being held in the Madison County Jail without bond.