Police ID man killed in Hamilton crash
A 36-year-old Hamilton man was killed Wednesday morning in a crash on Eaton Road in Hamilton, according to police.
Ronald L. Bryant Jr. was identified by Butler County Coroner’s Office as the person who died in the crash that happened about 12:03 a.m. in the 1700 block of Eaton. Bryant died of multiple traumatic injuries and his death was ruled an accident by the coroner’s office.
A car was flipped several times and the driver ejected, according to police. The road was blocked for several hours while the Butler County Serious Accident Reconstruction Team investigated.
Rustic Home, a staple at the Hamilton Flea and Westside Market, to close
After five years in Hamilton, Rustic Home will shut down operations.
Jessica and Daniel Schwartz opened the shop in 2017 and had operated on Main Street in downtown Hamilton since January 2018. They posted on the store’s Facebook page they will close the store in the next couple of weeks. When the Journal-News reached out, the owners declined to comment further.
They wrote in the social media post that they have come to “cherish the relationships we have made with you since opening” but due to “unforeseen circumstances recently, we had to make a very difficult decision and we will be closing Rustic Home.”
Coroner: Man hit by train died of multiple traumatic injuries
A 33-year-old Middletown man died from multiple traumatic injuries when he was hit by a train Monday morning, according to the Butler County Coroner’s Office.
Andrew Bryant Smith was walking along the tracks near Oenka Avenue when he was killed, according to Lt. Malcolm Tipton from the Middletown Division of Police. He said the incident remains under investigation, but no foul play was suspected.
The coroner’s office said the manner of death was pending the police investigation.
Homeless assistance program serves 5,000th breakfast
MIDDLETOWN — Two years after starting a free meal program, volunteers from a local homeless organization served their 5,000th meal this week.
Serving Homeless Alternative Housing Of Middletown (SHALOM) stopped operating its winter church-based homeless shelter program at the outset of COVID-19, said Bill Fugate, volunteer coordinator. He said it was impossible to safely serve the homeless due to the dangers of the virus.
So SHALOM volunteers started serving breakfast three days a week from a donated food trailer in the parking lot of First United Methodist Church, 120 S. Broad St., SHALOM’s home office.
Interview with resigned West Chester cop reveals concern for truthfulness
A West Chester Twp. police officer resigned before she could be disciplined for failing to investigate a report of a possible dead body in a pond at an apartment complex where the body of Alex Enslen was found about a week later.
Enslen, 31, who had been missing since Jan. 31 was found dead in the water March 19 at the Union Station Apartments near Fountains Boulevard. Officer Margaret Clem was at the apartment complex on March 10 when a maintenance worker apparently told her he had seen what looked like body in the pond, according to township records.
The manager of the apartment building contacted the police on March 21 to report her employees told Clem about a possible body, showed her pictures and offered to take her to the location. She described Clem as being “dismissive” and told her employees the pond had already been thoroughly searched by divers and sonar.
AND, for an extra sixth story of the day ...
Badin baseball seeks third state championship, first since 1996
The answers by Badin pitcher Eric Rawlings and right fielder Brycen Fox left listeners scratching their heads in puzzlement.
The Badin baseball players had been asked their reaction to reaching Ohio’s Division II state semifinals this weekend at Akron’s Canal Park for the second straight season.
“It’ll be good to get back to Alumni Field,” both said.