crime Archives - The Ohio Star

Texas State Border Officials Fear Large Spikes in Overdose Deaths with Drug Traffic Increases

May 29, 2021May 28, 2021 The Center Square

Texas officials said Thursday they’re worried about dramatic spikes in drug overdose deaths in some areas of the state as illegal border crossings and drug trafficking have picked up since President Joe Biden took office.

Gov. Greg Abbott joined Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Director Steve McCraw and Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn on Thursday in Fort Worthto provide an update on the border crisis.

“We’re heading for a 50 percent increase in overdose deaths in Tarrant County alone,” Waybourn warned, noting that the amount of drugs flooding into Tarrant County has skyrocketed even with DPS intervention.

Ohio Attorney General Pleads for Patience Around Bryant Shooting Investigation

April 28, 2021April 27, 2021 The Center Square

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has spent a lot of time pleading for patience and talking of the dangers of rushing to judgement in reaction to the shooting death of a 16-year-old girl by Columbus police officers.

Community organizers, however, are calling for a U.S. Justice Department investigation of the Columbus Police Department, and Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said there is lack of trust between the community and police.

Yost consistently has said half-facts lead to half-truths, tweeting two days after the death of Ma’Khia Bryant, “Let’s get all the facts and find the whole truth.”

Ohio State Rep. Householder Exceeded Campaign Contribution Acceptance Limit by More Than $32,000, LaRose Says

March 6, 2021March 5, 2021 Jordyn Pair

Rep. Larry Householder (R-72-Glenford) accepted campaign contributions over the legal limit in 2019 and 2020, according to an examination of campaign finance reports, said Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose on Friday.

Nation’s Largest Cities Suffered 30 Percent Increase in Homicides in 2020, Report Finds

February 4, 2021February 3, 2021 Ohio Star Staff

Homicides spiked 30% in 34 of the United States’ largest cities in 2020, according to a report conducted by the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice.

Of the cities studied in the report, Chula Vista, California, saw the greatest increase in homicides, with 150% more in 2020 than the previous year. Madison and Milwaukee, the two largest cities in Wisconsin, saw increases of 100% and 85%, respectively, while only four cities – Raleigh, North Carolina; Baltimore; St. Petersburg, Florida; and Virginia Beach – saw declines in 2020.

LAPD Reports Homicide Rate Highest in 10 Years

November 29, 2020November 28, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

Los Angeles police announced 300 homicides have occurred in the city so far this year, a figure not seen after a decade of reductions in overall crime and street violence, police department officials said Sunday.

The depressing statistic comes amid growing concerns about spikes in violence this year, not just in Los Angeles but also other big cities across the nation as they continue to grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic and all the social and economic fallout, CNN reports.

Ohio AG Yost Files Suspension Proceedings Against Cincinnati Councilman Sittenfeld

November 24, 2020November 23, 2020 Jordyn Pair

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost initiated suspension proceedings against Cincinnati City Councilman P.J. Sittenfeld on Monday amid allegations of corruption.

Sittenfeld has been accused of accepting $40,000 in bribes and was charged with two counts each of honest services wire fraud, bribery and attempted extortion, NBC News reported.

Sittenfeld has denied the claims, saying that he is “innocent” and that the allegations are “simply not true.”

Ohio AG Dave Yost Files Lawsuit Against Car Dealership Accused of Failing to Provide Car Titles

November 21, 2020November 20, 2020 Jordyn Pair

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has filed a lawsuit against a used car dealership in the state for failing to provide titles to buyers, according to a statement released by the attorney general’s office on Friday. The lawsuit seeks reimbursement for a state fund used to help used car buyers resolve title problems.

San Francisco Sees Rise in Home Burglaries, Homicides

September 27, 2020September 26, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

San Francisco, California, has seen increases in burglary and homicide for the first nine months of 2020 amid nationwide unrest compared to 2019, according to police data.

The city, which boasts nearly double the U.S. household median income, has seen a nearly 42% increase in burglary, around a 33% increase in homicide and 31% uptick in vehicle thefts, statistical comparisons to 2019 from the San Francisco Police Department show.

Opioids, Violence and the Supreme Court Largely Omitted from DNC Convention Speeches

August 24, 2020August 24, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

Democrats focused on coronavirus, climate change, racial inequality and more during their party’s convention, but none pf the keynote speakers mentioned rising violence in cities across the country or the opioid epidemic during the primetime program.

The two issues have been worsening in part due to nationwide unrest and the pandemic, media reports and studies say. The Supreme Court — a large focus of the 2016 election — was also largely ignored.

Ohio’s Elyria Residents Mourn as Apparent Murder-Suicide Claims Five

July 31, 2020July 30, 2020 Ben Kolodny

The City of Elyria is in mourning after what’s being called a ‘murder-suicide’ claimed the lives of five people yesterday. Police conducted a health and wellness inspection of the home where they discovered the scene. The bodies of at least three children were among the dead.

Police are investigating an apparent-murder suicide that claimed the lives of five Elyria residents. Police arrived yesterday morning at the Willow Park Road home to conduct a health and wellness inspection. Upon arriving they discovered the bodies, including at least three children aged between six and twelve.

Trump Administration to Send Federal Agents to Cleveland

July 30, 2020July 29, 2020 Ben Kolodny

Federal agents will be sent to Cleveland as part of “Operation Legend.” The operation, named after four-year-old Legend Taliferro who was killed in Kansas City, was created to help combat the uptick in violence in the wake of the George Floyd Protests. Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams stressed that there will not be “Federal Troops” in the city.

Democrats Run America’s Top 20 Crime-Ridden Cities

June 26, 2020June 25, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

Annoyed that Senate Democrats are blocking a police reform bill, President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the 20 U.S. cities with the highest crime rates are all run by Democrats.

“The Senate Republicans want very much to pass a bill on police reform,” Trump said during a Rose Garden press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda. “I would like to see it happen. We won’t sacrifice. We won’t do that. We won’t do anything that is going to hurt our police.”

Newt Gingrich Commentary: Liberty and Justice for All Must Overcome Control and Vengeance for Some

June 25, 2020June 24, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

As I watch the continuing efforts to defund or abolish police across the country, I have been struck by the radical Left’s willingness to stick with its dangerous ideology even when Americans are killed because of it.

According to Fox 32 Chicago, over Father’s Day weekend, there were 104 people shot and 14 killed in the Windy City. Tragically, these statistics include a 3-year-old who was shot while in the backseat of his father’s car. This follows the last week of May, in which 85 people were shot in Chicago, with 24 of them perishing.

13-Year-Old American Teen Killed By Gunmen In Mexico

January 7, 2020January 7, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

A 13-year-old Oklahoma teen was shot dead while traveling south of the U.S.-Mexico border, becoming the latest American to die at the hands of cartel gunmen in the country.

New Hampshire Bill Would Require News Outlets to Retract Crime Stories if Defendant Fount ‘Not Guilty’

January 7, 2020January 7, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

A new bill scheduled to go before the New Hampshire Legislature this year would compel news outlets to retract stories if a defendant is found not guilty of a crime.

Somali Immigrant Convicted Of Gang Rape Says He’s Too Depressed to Be Deported

August 27, 2019August 27, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

Lawyers for a 30-year-old immigrant convicted of gang rape are arguing he is too depressed to be deported back to his home country of Somalia.

Ohio Attorney General: Negligence Leaves One Patient to Rot at Whetstone Gardens and Care Center

February 19, 2019February 18, 2019 Andrew Shirley

A Grand Jury in Franklin County has indicted seven nurses – formerly employed by Whetstone Gardens and Care Center in Columbus – on a litany of charges surrounding the mistreatment of multiple nursing home patients in 2017. Six employed nurses and one contracted nurse practitioner have been indicted on 34 separate…

Police Seize Weapons Cache Called ‘One of Largest in Ohio History’

November 20, 2018November 19, 2018 Anthony Accardi

Police are calling it one of the largest weapons seizures in Ohio’s history, and it was carried out in the small town of New Philadelphia. Officers on Nov. 16 confiscated 76 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition from outside of an apartment building – all of them allegedly stolen…

Former Democrat State Senator and Judge Once Convicted of Assaulting Wife Now Arrested in Connection with Her Death

November 20, 2018November 19, 2018 Anthony Accardi

A former Cuyahoga County judge, Lance Mason, who was removed from the bench after he beat his wife four years ago, was arrested over the weekend in connection with her fatal stabbing. Mason, 51, a former high-ranking state lawmaker and a Democrat, had pleaded guilty to the previous assault but landed on his feet…

Colorado: Uber Driver Arrested for Allegedly Kidnapping and Making Unwanted Advances on Teen Passenger

November 17, 2018November 16, 2018 Ohio Star Staff

Ahmed Muse was arrested in Jefferson County last Sunday morning after an incident involving a teenage passenger the night before. The sheriff’s office moved quickly and as of Monday night the 29-year-old Muse was still behind bars facing charges that included second degree kidnapping, false imprisonment, and harassment. On Tuesday,…

Florida Jury Finds Nigerian ‘Axemen’ Guilty of Scamming Elderly Women for Millions

November 16, 2018November 15, 2018 Anna Marie Bolton

While all eyes are on Florida for the recount of the Senate election, a federal jury in Tampa has found Okechuwku “Desmond” Amadi, a Canadian who had been living in Garland, Texas guilty of conspiracy and money laundering. He was caught operating a complex fraud scheme from Garland, via Florida,…

Ken McIntyre: ‘I Was a Crime Reporter in Maryland in the Early ’80s and I Never Heard of Teen ‘Gang-Rape’ Parties’

October 5, 2018October 5, 2018 Ohio Star Staff

by Ken McIntyre “Oh, I think everyone in the county remembers these parties,” Julie Swetnick says with a smile during her nationally televised interview. Um, not me, Julie. I had my first job as a reporter in Montgomery County, Maryland, at the time Swetnick claims Brett Kavanaugh and other…

Ohio Mainstream Media Defends Richard Cordray’s Abysmal Record on Crimes Against Women

September 2, 2018September 1, 2018 Anthony Accardi

Mike DeWine ousted Richard Cordray from the Ohio Attorney General’s office in 2010, defeating him at the polls and replacing him as the state’s top law enforcement officer. As such, DeWine has an insider’s view of how Cordray ran the AG’s office. In a recently launched TV ad, DeWine uses…

Memphis, Knoxville Among Worst Cities, USA TODAY Says of Towns It Calls Home

June 14, 2018June 13, 2018 Jason M. Reynolds

Media giant Gannett has compiled a list of what it says are the 50 worst cities to live in, and some of the top locations are towns where it operates newspapers, including two in Tennessee. USA TODAY compiled the list using data from 24/7 Wall Street, a website that publishes…