Top stories of 2020: Officer shooting, Liberty Twp. homicides topped crime news

A year of challenges due to the coronovirus pandemic affected police procedures and court schedules, and law enforcement officials stayed busy.

Here a some of the notable courts and crime stories of 2020:

Chase from Middletown to Warren County ends with officer, suspect shot

On Aug. 31, Middletown Police Officer Dennis Jordan and a suspect, Christopher J. Hubbard, were shot shortly before 5 p.m. after a pursuit that began in the area of 18th Avenue in Middletown and ended in the 2600 block of Mason-Montgomery Road in Turtlecreek Twp.

Jordan was shot in the arm, finger and right leg. He was released from the hospital a day later and returned to light duty.

Hubbard, 35, received multiple gunshot wounds when eight officers returned fire, according to officials. He was released from University of Cincinnati Medical Center and is now in prison while an investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Hubbard was indicted on multiple charges from the incident last week, and Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell ruled the eight officers who fired shots at Hubbard acted appropriately.

Two homicides in two days in Liberty Twp.

Five people from ages 18 to 25 were shot and two were killed in incidents originating at a Liberty Twp. park less than two days apart during the week of June 8.

A 25-year-old woman, Riah Milton, died on a street on June 9 after meeting several people at Liberty Park on Yankee Road. Then on June 19, after two groups met at the park for a fight, an 18-year old recent Fairfield High School graduate, Antaun Hill Jr., was shot and later died. Two others were also injured in the shootout.

Arrests have been made in both cases and litigation is pending for multiple people charged.

Longtime Hamilton chiropractor indicted on 26 sex-related charges

Hamilton chiropractor Dr. Stephen Boyd was arrested on Dec. 9 after a Butler County grand jury indicted him on 26 sex-related charges.

Boyd spent two days in jail after a grand jury returned the indictment against him for allegedly inappropriately touching patients and engaging in misconduct. Boyd has also been the subject of a investigation and allegations by the Ohio State Chiropractic Board.

The indictment accuses the 57-year-old of committing sex-related crimes for decades. According to prosecutors, the indictment involves crimes against eight victims who were juveniles and young adults in their late teens at the time of the alleged crimes. The alleged crime occurred between November 1998 and December 2014.

Boyd is charged with 12 counts of gross sexual imposition, seven counts of sexual battery, four counts of rape, two counts of attempted sexual battery and one count of attempted rape.

Madison Twp. man charged with 101 child porn charges free on bond, no trial date

A Madison Twp. man indicted more than a year ago on 101 charges of child pornography will be back in court in January, but a trial date has still not been set in Butler County Common Pleas Court.

Trevor Fraley, 24, of Dickey Road, was indicted in November 2019 on multiple counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a child and illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material or performance.

Fraley has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is free on a $500,000 bond.

In March, his attorney filed a motion to suppress evidence, including items taken from a Middletown home on Crawford Street, cell phone, computers and other electronic devices. A hearing has been set for Jan. 21 on the suppression motion.

Man shot and killed by Fairfield officer

A 24-year-old man was shot and killed on March 9 in an officer-involved shooting.

Officers Edward Bausch, Daniel Setterstrom and Craig Moore responded to 9 S. Timber Hollow Drive at 11:49 a.m. on March 6 at the request of a woman for officers to be “on standby” related to a domestic dispute issue. According to the investigation, Tyler Jones was a suspect in the theft of a car and a firearm.

When Jones, 24, arrived at the Timber Hollow Apartment Homes complex, there was a confrontation between him and the police officers in the parking lot, and he was shot and killed.

Jones told officers, “Go ahead and shoot, bro,” walked away refusing to show his hands, then pulled out a gun, the investigation showed. He dropped the gun, ran for the weapon as it skidded in the parking lot, was hit by a Taser that had no effect, then retrieved the gun on the ground and pointed it at the head of an officer who was in pursuit, according to Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser. All three officers fired shots at Jones.

There were no indictments returned against the officers.

Man sentenced to life in prison for stabbing Middletown mother, setting house on fire

When Middletown firefighters pulled Jamaka Calhoun out of her burning Lind Street house in August, they discovered she she was suffering from stab wounds. She died at the scene, but her young daughter escaped.

Two months later, Anson Pride, 41, pleaded guilty in Butler County Common Pleas Court to aggravated murder and aggravated arson, both with specifications that he is a repeat violent offender for Calhoun’s death.

Judge Keith Spaeth then sentenced Pride to life in prison without the possibility of parole with the maximum fine of $25,000 for killing Calhoun. Pride was sentenced to 11 years for the aggravated arson charge, to be served consecutive to the life sentence.

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