Saturday, January 30, 1999
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Probe clears officer who sprayed woman
A Cincinnati police officer captured on home video spraying chemical irritant in the face of a woman who is handcuffed has been cleared by a police internal investigation.
WCPO-TV (Channel 9) aired the video in November as part of a story questioning why Mace was used when the woman was handcuffed and appeared to be complying with the officer.
The video was shot July 25 by someone at downtown's three-day Ujima Cinci-bration, an African-American festival. It did not show what happened before the handcuffing.
A police internal investigation found arresting officer Sgt. Jeff Butler Jr. acted properly and that the woman, Nicole Garnes, 21, of Evanston, gave police a false name at the time of her arrest on a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct. She did not make a formal complaint about the arrest.
The city's Office of Municipal Investigation, an independent agency that investigates complaints against police, has not yet made a ruling.
Cincinnati State president gets raise
Cincinnati State Technical and Community College trustees approved a 10 percent salary increase for President Ron Wright at the board's meeting this week.
Mr. Wright was granted a $12,000 raise, for a salary of $132,000.
Trustees on Tuesday also re-elected Mark Walton, vice president and community outreach coordinator at PNC Bank, as board chairman. First appointed in 1995, he is the only trustee who also is a Cincinnati State alumnus.
Lane of Fifth Street to close for cable work
The right curb lane on Fifth Street between Central Avenue and Broadway is scheduled to close Sunday between 7 a.m. and dark.
Construction crews need to install Advanced Regional Traffic Interactive Management & Information System (ARTIMIS) cable on overhead utility poles. The cables need to be moved so ARTIMIS signs over the interstate can keep working during Fort Washington Way construction.
Up to two blocks of Fifth Street will be closed at a time and parking won't be allowed on Fifth Street's south lanes.
Club bringing columnist to Cincinnati in March
Syndicated columnist Molly Ivins will be the featured speaker March 3 at the Woman's City Club's Nation Speaker Forum.
Ms. Ivins, whose column appears in The Cincinnati Enquirer, will speak at 7:30 p.m. March 3 at the Plum Street Temple, Eighth and Plum streets, downtown.
Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Tickets can be ordered by calling 751-0100.
Butler Co. has hearing about social services
Public hearings will be held next week to allow Butler County residents to discuss social service needs in the county.
Two hearings are planned.
The first will run from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in the conference room of the Butler County Department of Human Services, 870 N.W. Washington Blvd., Hamilton.
The second will be held at the same time Thursday at the human services office, 159 City Centre Mall in Middletown.
The hearings are being conducted on behalf of the advisory board of the county Department of Human Services, the Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services Board, Children Services Board, Mental Health Board and the Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.
Teen's confession coerced, expert says
NEW PHILADELPHIA, Ohio — A police interrogator coerced the confession of a 13-year-old boy charged with killing a 5-year-old neighbor, a psychologist testified Friday.
Kathleen Quinn of the Cleveland Clinic testified in Tuscarawas County Juvenile Court on behalf of Anthony Harris, whose attorneys want the confession ruled inadmissible.
Anthony has been charged with murder in the stabbing death of Devan Duniver on June 27. Her body was found one day later under storm debris about 100 yards from her home.
Ms. Quinn testified that Anthony's confession was coerced by Millersburg Police Chief Tom Vaughn, who questioned the boy on July 15.
“It's my opinion, with reasonable medical certainty, that coercive and excessively repetitious questions were used in that interrogation,” Ms. Quinn testified.
“From Anthony's perception, his ideas were being overridden and words put in his mouth,” she said.
According to a transcript of the interview, Anthony repeatedly denied harming the girl.
But later in the interview, having been warned by Chief Vaughn that he faced juvenile detention until his 21st birthday if he didn't show remorse, Anthony changed his position.
“And you stabbed her in the throat, didn't you, Anthony?” Chief Vaughn asked.
“Yes,” Anthony answered.
Ms. Quinn also testified that the boy can become anxious, is eager to please and did not have a full understanding of what he did when he agreed to waive his right to have an attorney present when he talked to police.
Later in the day, a second psychologist said that the youth appeared to have no detectable emotional problems and has a supportive extended family.
Schools stop barring transfers for white kids
LIMA — The city school district no longer will bar white students from transferring to neighboring districts.
The school board feared it might lose some federal money if it did not drop the 15-year-old policy of allowing only minority students to transfer, the superintendent said.
The policy was created in 1984 as part of a federally ordered desegregation plan. The plan let students in the racial majority at their home school transfer voluntarily to other schools where they would be in the minority.
The court order ended in 1987, but the policy continued until this month. Recent federal court cases ruled that race-based policies were unconstitutional, Lima Schools Superintendent Michael Kinneer said.
The school board made the change after meeting with officials from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights.
The 5,800-student district faced the possibility of losing $4 million in federal money, Mr. Kinneer said.
Police shooting suspect seeks change of venue
GOSHEN, Ind. — Attorneys for a man accused of fatally shooting a Goshen police officer want his case moved out of Elkhart County because of pre-trial publicity.
Frankie A. Salyers' lawyers filed documents Thursday requesting the change of venue. Also, court officials have scheduled a March 16 hearing on Mr. Salyers' mental competency.
The last of three psychiatric reports on Mr. Salyers was filed Wednesday, and defense attorneys said they still need time to review them before deciding how to proceed.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Mr. Salyers, who had admitted to police that he shot and killed Officer Thomas Goodwin on Dec. 11 at Brookside Manor mobile home park.
There's no happy ending for MU story
Magnet school signup shows opposites attract
Man dies in custody after third arrest
Judge turns down delay of execution
Dog biscuits taken off bistro menu
Police dog included in estate's lawsuit
Valedictorian dream dashed
Bauer expected to announce presidential bid
City choosing a chief its own way
Who will be chief?
Councilman wants to restrict laser pointers
Franklin's confession frees man
North Bend survival subject of whispers
Police: Student's death probably accidental
Trash can mom seeking lower bond
Year's worth of weather
Break-in at furniture store costly for deer
Domestic violence, sex assault information available by phone
Mill Creek plan called key to create asset, stop decline
Public hearing set on possible lawsuit against gun makers
Teacher charged with hitting student
Another mall idea: Buy, raze
Embattled chief mulls departure
Fairfield man guilty of corrupting teen girls
How to help Colombian earthquake victims
Mental state issue in Roselawn stabbings case
Patton planning strong campaign
Students come to aid of others after fire
Suspect resists return from Texas
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