Butler County sheriff to charge communities for dispatching police calls, and some aren’t happy
The Butler County sheriff plans to charge all other jurisdictions that run their own police departments and use the dispatch center for the service next year, and some chiefs are balking at the price.
Chief Deputy Anthony Dwyer said the department plans to charge Fairfield, Oxford and Ross townships, the villages of New Miami and Seven Mile and MetroParks for police dispatching next year. The cities of Hamilton and Oxford began paying for the service several years ago.
“This started some time ago when people started inquiring as to why Hamilton and Oxford pay and we’re doing it for free for others,” Dwyer said.
Middletown icon ready for addition to holiday lights event later this month
Organizers of a popular drive-through holiday lights display in Middletown have taken safety precautions to reduce the risk of the spread of the coronavirus.
While Santa Claus won’t appear this year and Wendy’s coupons won’t be distributed at the front gate, visitors will see three new displays, including for the first time, the AK Steel star.
Barney Strassburger, grounds manager for Light Up Middletown, said there were seven displays 21 years ago when Light Up Middletown opened. Now there are 65, including gingerbread men on a trampoline and members of a marching band performing in front on an O-H-I-O flashing sign.
Hamilton man loses appeal of conviction for murdering 13-year-old: What the judges said
A Hamilton man’s conviction for murder in the 2018 fatal shooting of a Wilson Middle School student has been upheld by the 12th District Court of Appeals.
Kameron Tunstall, now 20, was found guilty of murder, multiple counts of felonious assault and discharge of a firearm on or near a prohibited premises in April 2019 following a four-day trial in Butler County Common Pleas Court.
Judge Charles Pater sentenced Tunstall to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 21 years for the fatal shooting of Jaraius Gilbert Jr., 13, on the night of Aug. 29, 2018.
Hamilton honoring veterans: Hall of fame to induct 20 more this weekend in second year
For the second straight year, Hamilton will honor local veterans by inducting them into the Hamilton Veterans Hall of Fame.
Last year, 20 veterans and one civilian were inducted and 19 more veterans and one civilian will be inducted during a ceremony Sunday at the Butler County Fairgrounds Event Center.
Several years ago, Chris Haynes, then a VFW state commander, traveled around Ohio and visited some of the veteran halls of fame. He figured it was time for a hall of fame in the county seat.
Man sought in fatal shooting outside 513 Lounge arrested in Florida
A Dayton man who was indicted on murder and felonious assault charges by a Butler County grand jury for a shooting outside of a Middletown bar has been apprehended.
Middletown police Chief David Birk said Marquan Cardelle Cortez Cook, 28, was apprehended today in Tampa, Fla. by U.S. Marshals. Birk said police are working with the U.S. Marshals Service to return him to Butler County to face charges.
He is accused of shooting Brandon Frank Nathanial Moneyham Sr. to death during the early-morning hours of Oct. 11 at the 513 Lounge on Verity Parkway.
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Cheetos wallet? In the Butler County Jail, that’s contraband
It’s contraband, but a wallet crafted from chip bags found during an inspection of cells Thursday impressed corrections officers at the Butler County Jail.
The wallet with several pockets for cash is made from Fritos and Cheetos bags, likely purchased in the jail commissary. Photos of it were posted by the sheriff’s department on social media.
“While inspecting cells today in the jail we came across a homemade wallet made of Fritos and Cheetos bags... the ingenuity is pretty impressive,” the post said.