The Baltimore Street Gang terrorized a Middletown neighborhood for years through assaults, robberies, drug dealing and eventually a New Year’s Eve homicide, according to police.

Last summer, Middletown police and Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser declared the gang had been shut down after Joe Eacholes received a 12-month prison sentence for attempted participation in a gang. He was the final member of the gang, which also included his brother Jerry Eacholes, to be sentenced.

But law enforcement officials throughout the county, especially Middletown and Fairfield, took notice this week when Jerry Eacholes, 26, was arrested again and charged with aggravated murder for the shooting death of 19-year-old Julian Slaven of Fairfield.

Middletown Maj. Rodney Muterspaw said his department worked with Fairfield police to arrest Jerry Eacholes on Monday, and that he was not surprised by his involvement in the Slaven killing. Still, Muterspaw said, police have no indication he has revived his gang ties.

“We have not heard anything about BSG forming again,” Muterspaw said. “If we did, we would squash them. We are not going to tolerate it.”

Spurred by the need to take back the Baltimore Street neighborhood from gangs, Middletown police formed a task force and spent months gathering information, running surveillance and serving search warrants.

It worked. With indictments in hand, members were arrested.

Ricardo Robertson received 16 years in prison for aggravated robbery with gang specifications. He and accomplice, Tryvale Redmond, held two people at gunpoint to steal drugs from them. Redmond received a three-year prison sentence.

Greg Kennedy and Albert Givens pleaded guilty to felony gang charges. Kennedy received an 18-month prison sentence and Givens was given three years.

Another gang member, Anthony Blake, was convicted of murder with gun specifications for shooting Terron Moton three times in the head on Jan. 1, 2011 on the dance floor of the Edwards Brothers Hall on Central Avenue. He is serving 23 years to life.

Arrested along with Jerry Eacholes for the shooting death of Slaven are Misty Williams, 19, of Fairfield; and Christia Frymire, 19, of Fairfield, Anthony Dean Givens, 21, of Hamilton and Joseph Goodin, 25, of Middletown.

Muterspaw said Anthony Givens is believed to be Albert Givens brother.

While Middletown and Fairfield police continue to say the concern about a new gang is minimal, it is on their radar.

“It is worth considering and looking at in the larger picture,” said Fairfield Police Chief Michael Dickey. But the chief said he has seen no evidence of gang activity involving Jerry Eacholes in his city. In fact, they have had no previous contact with men at all.

“I think this was a straight out drug abuse robbery that went bad,” said Dickey of Slaven’s shooting death. “It is all drug culture related.”

Slaven, 19, had a record of some minor drug charges and had been scheduled to appear in Fairfield Municipal Court this week on a felony drug possession charge that stemmed from a police search of his home in July.

According to the affidavit for the July search warrant signed by Officer Ed Knizner, police received information from a confidential informant that Slaven was dealing marijuana out of the house. Surveillance turned up short-term traffic at the residence. That coupled with marijuana residue found in trash left on the curb was enough to get a warrant to search.

Police searched the Slaven residence on July 23 and seized marijuana grinder, joint roller, a cigarette box with marijuana stems and a glass pipe. From Julian Slaven’s bedroom, a digital scale, a plastic bag of green vegetation, two unknown pills, a gun and $336 cash was seized.

“If you don’t run in those circles. If you’re not in the drug culture, your chances of being killed are far less,” Dickey said.

Muterspaw said despite the fact he does not believe Jerry Eacholes reorganized the Baltimore Street Gang, the mode of operation in the crimes he is currently accused of are similar to his gang activities.

“They (Baltimore Street Gang) always had little girls running dope for them and driving them around,” Muterspaw said. He said the BSG gang dealt in marijuana and crack.

He added the local drug dealing groups are interconnected between Middletown, Hamilton and Fairfield.

“They are running up and down Route 4. It’s not just one city’s problem,” Muterspaw said.

In the months since most of the gang has been behind bars, the neighborhood has been transformed to a peaceful place to live.

“The neighborhood has been very responsive to keeping us informed. Residents can walk the streets at night without worrying about some crazy fool hitting them in the head or shooting them,” Muterspaw said. “And they are not going to reorganize.”

Sylin Baltazr and his family live just across the street from the Eacholes residence. He said there is no doubt the street “is a whole lot” quieter since the gang was busted.

“The call me the hood coach, because I was always trying to help them stay out of trouble, because I’ve been there. I know what can happen,” Baltazr said.

In his younger days, before a heart attack and raising a family, Baltazr said he spent time in prison on a robbery charge.

Two young men played basketball in a small park on Baltimore Street on a sunny Friday afternoon. People talked outside BJ Market and some hung Christmas decorations.

“That’s what it is like now, kids can go down to the park,” said Joe Bogg, Sr. He and his family have lived in the neighborhood eight years.

Boggs said he grew up in Middletown then moved to Dayton.

“I wanted to move back to Middletown to raise a family. Dayton’s a fast city. Middletown’s a smaller town. But it was just as bad.”

Boggs said the “gang bangers” left him alone but shootouts and the drug dealing affected everyone.

“I hated that my children had to see it,” Boggs said. “And bullets flying, they don’t have any eyes, if you know what I mean.”

LeRoy Clemons attributes much of the violence and crime to a lack of jobs leaving people without money, something to do and any recreation at all. But he applauds the police efforts to stop the gang activity.

“It is the same old neighborhood, just without the violence,” Clemons said. “We want to keep it that way.”