April Parson is not the cold, emotionless mother portrayed by police, her attorney said Tuesday.
Ms. Parson, a 20-year-old Winton Hills woman, is charged with murder in Sunday's death of her 2-month-old son, Donovan Parson. Cincinnati police said she suffocated Donovan, one of her twin boys, because he wouldn't stop crying. "She didn't shed a tear" when homicide detectives interviewed her, homicide Sgt. Tom Lanter said Monday. She told police he must have died of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), he said.
Ms. Parson's attorney, Steve Wenke, said she is an emotionally upset woman who has a history of mental illness. She has been diagnosed with depression or bipolar disorders since she was 15, he said. "She's really upset about it," Mr. Wenke said. "It's devastated her family."
The surviving twin and 2-year-old son are being cared for by Ms. Parson's mother.
Woman's hips broken in purse-snatching
Cincinnati police say a 72-year-old woman broke both hips Sept. 27 when three attackers knocked her down at Western Hills Plaza on Glenway Avenue in Westwood and stole her purse.
Two of her suspected assailants were arrested.Cincinnati police are looking for a third.
He is George Campbell, 18, of Middletown. Police say he was the getaway driver. He is described as a 5-foot-10, 150-pound black man with brown hair and brown eyes. He faces an aggravated robbery charge.
Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 352-3040. Callers remain anonymous and can earn cash for clues that lead to an arrest.
Escape attempt could cost suspect
A Glendale man could face even more jail time than the 30 days he already got in a child-support case after he allegedly knocked a sheriff's deputy unconscious in an escape attempt Monday night.
Broderick Washington, 38, allegedly ran down a hall at the Hamilton County Justice Center, pushing people down on the way to an exit, his arrest report says. He is accused of running into a deputy and knocking him unconscious. The deputy's name was not available. Other deputies were able to subdue Mr. Washington. He is being held in jail in lieu of $105,000.
United Way campaign past halfway to goal
Cincinnati's United Way & Community Chest has raised more than 53 percent of its record $53,830,000 goal.
Campaign Chairman Daniel J. Meyer, chairman president and CEO of Cincinnati Milacron, said Tuesday that the organization had raised $28,803,842.
The campaign ends Oct. 29. Those interested in giving should call 762-7100.
Phone changes snarl University Hospital
A new telephone system at University Hospital was meant to save money, but installing it has scrambled communications for some people trying to reach non-emergency numbers.
All hospital lines are being switched from a 558 prefix to 584. The change stems from the privatization of University Hospital in January 1997. By installing its own phone system, rather than sharing with the University of Cincinnati, the hospital expects to save more than $1 million a year.
For now, some crucial lines such as patient information, the emergency department, and University Air Care are being automatically forwarded. However, many other numbers are not. The hospital asks for the public's patience, said spokeswoman Amy Bomar.
Dove-hunting ban gaining support
COLUMBUS -- A ballot initiative to outlaw mourning dove hunting is winning more support than opposition among Ohio voters, according to a statewide poll published Tuesday.
State Issue 1 was favored among those who intend to vote by 45 percent to 36 percent in the Columbus Dispatch mail poll taken from Sept. 25 through Thursday. But a potentially decisive 19 percent said they had not yet decided how they will vote on Nov. 3.
The Save the Doves Committee collected more than 100,000 signatures of registered Ohio voters to put the proposed change in state law on the ballot.
Issue 1 proponents say the birds are harmless, help control weeds by eating seeds and are too small to be considered game birds. Opponents say wildlife management should be left to professionals and have been waging a TV campaign branding anti-dove hunters as animal rights extremists.
The Dispatch poll is based on a random sample of all registered voters in the state. Results for the 2,436 respondents have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
Workshop planned on area's development
A public workshop on sustainable Tristate development will be 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 16 at Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Ky.
The workshop is sponsored by Citizens for Civil Renewal, the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments, and Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce.
Sustainable development involves a balance among economic development, natural resources preservation and quality of life. The workshop costs $25. Registration and scholarships are being handled by the Hamilton County Environmental Priorities Project (221-8853).
