Reduced library hours start today

By Christopher Magan | Monday, January 4, 2010, 12:02 PM

Starting today, January 4, Greene County public libraries will operate under reduced hours after reductions in state funding.

Branches in Cedarville and Jamestown will be open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday noon to 8 p.m., Wednesday and Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Libraries in Beavercreek, Bellbrook, Fairborn, Xenia and Yellow Springs will be open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday noon to 8 p.m., Wednesday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Beavercreek, Fairborn, Xenia and Yellow Springs libraries also will be open Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

During the fall campaign for levy renewal Karl Colon, library director, said the reduction in hours was necessary to cut expenses without impacting services. Voters overwhelmingly supported the levy that will raise $3.2 million, or roughly half the agency’s funding.

The new library hours are in place until at least 2013 unless future cuts in state funding force changes, according to a new release from Colon.

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Mayor recovering after emergency surgery

By Christopher Magan | Monday, December 21, 2009, 10:32 AM

XENIA - Outgoing Mayor Phyllis Pennewitt is recovering after undergoing emergency intestinal surgery Saturday, Dec. 19, at Greene Memorial Hospital.

Councilwoman Pat Felton said she spoke to a family member Saturday who said Pennewitt came through the surgery and is on the mend.

Pennewitt became mayor in 2006 after serving six years as a councilwoman. She announced earlier this year she would not seek re-election and supported retired Xenia schools principal Marsha Bayless, who won the election in November to replace her.

Bayless and newly elected Councilman Wesley E. Smith will be sworn in at council’s first meeting in January.

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Democrat announces statehouse bid

By Christopher Magan | Friday, December 18, 2009, 10:59 AM

BEAVERCREEK - A local Democrat hopes to unseat a former city councilman who took over the 70th district state house seat after Republican Kevin DeWine left to head the state GOP.

Kevin O’Brien, who retired from the Air Force and now works for a military contractor, announced Thursday at the city veterans’ memorial on North Fairfield Road that he will again run for state representative.

O’Brien lost his challenge to unseat DeWine in 2006. Jarrod Martin, a former Beavercreek City Councilman, won a crowded primary race and then the general election for the seat in 2008. He’s seeking re-election next year.

O’Brien wants to bring a different perspective to the state house. He says he’s not a typical democrat. “I’m pro life and pro gun.”

O’Brien, who’s 38 and grew up in Beavercreek, plans to campaign on education reform and dealing with the state’s budgeting issues. He says he’s better prepared then when he ran in 2006. “This being my second time, I’m a lot more prepared to make a run at it,” he said.

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Early lines for H1N1 vaccine in Greene County

By Christopher Magan | Tuesday, December 15, 2009, 03:26 PM

XENIA - A long line snaked along the building at the Greene County Fairgrounds where H1N1 vaccines were available for the first time for the general public Tuesday, Dec. 15.

Suesie Strider, of Wilmington, said she waited about 45 minutes to get inside the pavilion where the shots were being administered. She had hoped for a shorter wait, but wanted to get the vaccine. “I’m around a lot of people and you never know what germs they’re carrying and I want to protect myself,” she said.

Sara Pappa, spokeswoman for the Greene County Combined Health District, said they expect to vaccinate 3,000 people Tuesday during the clinic’s hours of 2 to 7 p.m. Another clinic is set for the same time Wednesday.

Health officials set up a “Kings Island style” line inside the pavilion to get as many people out of the cold as quickly as possible, Pappa said. Crowds were expected to fall off and then increase after people get off work.

Anyone six months or older is now eligible to get the vaccine and Greene County has several thousand of both the shot and the nasal mist. Health officials are encouraging everyone to get vaccinated, especially as the holiday traveling season approaches.

“Think about what you might be exposed to when you are traveling,” Pappa said. She added that the clinics were the perfect time for children under 10 to get the second dose they need to develop resistance to the so-called swine flu.

How to go: Flu clinics are 2 . to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15 and Wednesday, Dec. 16, at the Greene County Fairgrounds, 120 Fairground Road in Xenia.

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Former city prosecutor gets jail time for theft

By Christopher Magan | Tuesday, December 15, 2009, 01:29 PM

XENIA - The former assistant city prosecutor who admitted stealing from two clients of his private law practice received the maximum sentence of 18 months in prison on Monday, Dec. 14.

Craig Saunders, who pleaded to two counts of felony theft in September, doesn’t have to report to serve his sentence until Dec. 28.

A special prosecutor and judge were brought in to handle Saunders’ case because of his notoriety in Greene County where he served on the local fair board, Bar Association and Republican Party leader. He lost a primary bid for state representative in 2008.

Xenia police said money problems led to Saunders stealing nearly $50,000 from two clients of his law practice. Both times Saunders pocketed money clients had sent him for estate taxes, police said.

In exchange for his guilty pleas, prosecutors agreed not to proceed with charges from a third case that Saunders had repaid to the client.

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Alleged 3-time car thief nabbed by GPS

By Christopher Magan | Thursday, December 10, 2009, 10:51 AM

FAIRBORN - Technology foiled an alleged serial car thief who instead of variety opted for taking the same vehicle three times.

Police say they caught up to Rahshe L. Walker, of Grierson Place, shortly after he allegedly took the vehicle from the Treeborn Apcartments on Dayton-Yellow Springs Road thanks to a Global Positioning device the owner allowed police to install after the first two thefts.

Police believe Walker took the car all three times and returned it to the neighborhood the first two. After allegedly taking the car a third time Wednesday, Dec. 9, Walker noticed he was being trailed by police down Interstate 675, said Sgt. Matt Ricketts. Walker slowed the vehicle and leapt from it, escaping into a wooded area.

Police located Walker nearby hiding under a car near his home. He faces failure to comply, receiving stolen property and obstructing officials business charges and is being held on $20,000 bond in the Greene County Jail.

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State grants Xenia $400k for downtown improvements

By Christopher Magan | Wednesday, December 9, 2009, 04:17 PM

XENIA - City leaders learned Wednesday, Dec. 9, they’ll have another $400,000 in grant money to work with as they continue to revitalize downtown.

The Ohio Department of Development and Gov. Ted Strickland announced $2.4 million in grant money for six cities including $400,000 in Xenia for facade improvement, curb and sidewalks, murals, bikeway and other streetscape improvements.

Mary Crockett, Xenia community developement director, said the money will be paired with about $450,000 of stimulus, state and federal grants the city has already received for a total of about $850,000.

“I’m very excited about this,” Crockett said. She added that city council members and downtown merchants worked together to win the grant award.

Much of the money will go toward a loan program that allows downtown business and building owners to borrow money interest-free to paint and fix the facades of their buildings. “These grants give zero percent interst loans to cash strapped building owners,”Crockett said.

Money also will be used to landscape and improve access to the bikepath around Xenia Station and to spruce up streetscapes along East Main Street.

Mark Bazelak, city finance director, said the beautification paid for with the grant money should aid the city in its efforts to attract new business. “Obviously, as we are looking toward the future one principal element to focus on is economic development,” Bazelak said.

Gov. Strickland echoed this sentiment, saying in a news release that “downtowns often showcase the best of what Ohio has to offer and keeping them strong and vibrant will help accelerate our state’s economic recovery.”

Besides Xenia, Wilmington, Cambridge, Defiance, Nepoleon and Waterville received grant money for downtown improvements.

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Greene County church thief pleads guilty

By Jeremy Kelley | Wednesday, December 9, 2009, 03:06 PM

The man who allegedly stole credit cards from churches in Bellbrook and Xenia this summer pleaded guilty Wednesday, Dec. 9, to one felony count of receiving stolen property in each case.

Nickolas Williams, 29, of Reynoldsburg, entered the pleas in Greene County Common Pleas Court and is scheduled for sentencing before Judge Timothy Campbell on Feb. 2. He could receive up to two years in prison and $5,000 in fines, according to Greene County assistant prosecutor Adolfo Tornichio.

On July 11, the Bellbrook Community Church’s credit card was stolen while church members were working outside. Bellbrook Detective Keith Salyers tracked activity on the card and found it was used to buy $800 in merchandise at Columbus-area stores. He then retrieved store surveillance images from the Columbus area incriminating Williams.

Once Salyers identified Williams as a suspect, Xenia police connected him to the June 20 theft of a woman’s purse and credit cards from Faith Community Church in Xenia, Tornichio said.

“The reason Nickolas Williams was apprehended and prosecuted is because of the hard work of Detective Salyers, period,” Tornichio said. “This is one of those cases that is very time intensive. Bellbrook takes these crimes seriously, and I commend Chief (David) Helling for allowing Keith to really dig his teeth in here.”

Williams was also a suspect in multiple Columbus-area church thefts this summer. Last month in Franklin County, he pleaded guilty to a breaking and entering charge in one of those cases and was sentenced to seven months in prison.

In addition to possible jail time and fines, Williams will have to make restitution of about $2,200 in the Greene County cases, according to Tornichio.

“It is a monotonous paper trail to hunt these people down,” he said. “You had a whodunit, and Keith found out who it was.”

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Man pleads guilty, no contest in child’s beating death

By Christopher Magan | Tuesday, December 8, 2009, 04:09 PM

XENIA — The man accused in the beating death of a two-year-old Fairborn girl, Juliana Berry, entered guilty and no contest pleas Tuesday, Dec. 8, to charges that could bring him up to 25 years in prison.

Brian LaPrairie, 233 Pat Lane, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, child endangering, drug trafficking and a weapons charge. Prosecutors dropped more serious allegations of murder and felonious assault.

Common Pleas Court Judge Stephen A. Wolaver revoked LaPrairie’s bond of $250,000 and sent him to the county jail while a pre-sentencing investigation is completed. Prosecutor Stephen K. Haller said his sentencing recommendation would fit the severity of the crimes.

LaPrairie, who spoke in court only to answer the judge’s questions, faces mandatory prison time for the involuntary manslaughter charge and Judge Wolaver told him, “the court, in all probability, will impose a prison term on the remaining counts.”

The plea bargain comes almost a year after LaPrairie made a frantic call to Fairborn police dispatchers Dec. 27, but not 911, because his girlfriend’s daughter Juliana Berry was unresponsive. Berry’s mother, Malak Deek, returned home from work to find her daughter being taken to Children’s Medical Center Dayton in an ambulance.

Berry never regained consciousness and died two days later. An autopsy found she suffered from “Battered Baby,” which is characterized by repeated abuse.

Prosecutors tried Deek in September and alleged that abuse came at the hands of LaPrairie, who caused injuries to Juliana including a skull fracture, lacerated liver and broken ribs and arms. A mistrial was declared after jurors split their verdict with 10 believing Deek was guilty, one believing she was not and one undecided. The jury also fould Deek not guilty of a drug charge.

After the hung jury Haller said he would try Deek again for child endangering, involuntary manslaughter and other charges because “justice for Juliana” demanded it. “What happened today is we made a step in seeing justice for Juliana Amina Berry,” Haller said.

At trial Deek repeatedly denied she knew her little girl was being abused and blamed some of her daughter’s injuries on a fall and other accidents. Her case is expected to come back to court next year. LaPrairie’s trial on murder, felonious assault, child endangering, involuntary manslaughter, drug and weapons charges was set to begin Friday, Dec. 11. He will be sentenced Jan. 7

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Man arrested in string of Xenia business break-ins

By Jeremy Kelley | Monday, December 7, 2009, 04:10 PM

Xenia police have arrested a suspect in connection with a string of business break-ins that occurred in the past two weeks.

Jeremy D. Hilderbrand

Jeremy D. Hilderbrand, 27, of Xenia, was arrested at 1 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, on three felony counts of breaking and entering and one count of possession of criminal tools.

The Cassano’s Pizza on North Allison Street was broken into on both Nov. 27 and Dec. 2. Then late Friday and early Saturday, Xenia police got reports of break-ins at Lee’s Famous Recipe on West Main Street, TCN Behavioral Health on West Market Street, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars post on West Second Street.

The next day, at 1 a.m. Sunday, officer Rob Kelley found a broken window at the VFW post at 850 W. Second St., and police set up a perimeter around the building, suspecting the building had been broken into for a second straight day. Xenia police Capt. Scott Anger said officers found Hilderbrand inside and arrested him without incident.

Anger said police have connected Hilderbrand with both break-ins at the VFW post and the Dec. 2 Cassano’s break-in. Investigators are probing whether Hilderbrand was responsible for the other break-ins, but Anger said at least one other suspect may be involved in some of those cases.

Hilderbrand had an initial court appearance Monday and is being held in the Greene County Jail on a $10,000 cash bond. He has previous convictions for misdemeanor theft and drug charges.

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