Wednesday, May 19, 1999
TRISTATE DIGEST
Stepfather ordered resentenced in killing
IRONTON, Ohio — A state appeals court has upheld the murder conviction of a man whose stepdaughter was found buried in the family's back yard, but says he must be sentenced again.
The court, in a ruling issued Monday, also let stand the involuntary manslaughter conviction of the mother of 7-year-old Seleana Gamble and kidnapping convictions against the couple for fleeing the state with their other children.
Jack and Mona Volgares buried the girl in a trash can in the yard, then left their southern Ohio home with their three other children. Seleana's body was found Sept. 7, 1997, and the couple were captured in Muskogee, Okla., three weeks later.
Mr. Volgares was sentenced to 37 years to life in prison. Lawrence County Prosecutor J.B. Collier Jr. said Tuesday he is confident the sentence will be reimposed.
Prosecutors said Mr. Volgares yelled at Seleana on June 3, 1997, for not doing a good-enough job washing the dishes, then became angrier when she wet her pants. He shoved her down a hallway, causing her to go into convulsions. She died eight to 12 hours later, Mr. Collier said.
Mrs. Volgares was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for not getting the girl medical help. She remains sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Mr. Volgares, 44, admitted shoving the girl, but said he didn't intend to kill her.
4 seek damages from UC in fake-doctor case
COLUMBUS — Four people befriended by a man who told them he was a doctor are seeking $25,000 each from the University of Cincinnati Hospital for letting him practice medicine there without a license.
Thomas D. West of Erlanger passed himself off as a doctor for about four years at five Cincinnati-area hospitals, according to testimony Monday in the Ohio Court of Claims.
The complainants said they met Mr. West at a restaurant and received medical treatment that included a physical, removing a skin lesion and care for an ear infection.
Mr. West pleaded guilty in 1991 to practicing medicine without a license, submitting fraudulent prescriptions and assault, based on his use of medical instruments on unsuspecting patients.
He was released in 1993 after two years in prison but was returned to Allen Correctional Institution in Lima months later for violating probation by posing as a lawyer. He is eligible for parole in 2002.
The complainants were Lori Riddle of West Chester, Cincinnati Police Officer David L. Russell, Roy Alexander of Southgate and Robert Heffern of Cincinnati.
Judge J. Warren Bettis is expected to rule next month on whether University Hospital is liable in the case, court clerk Miles Durfey said Tuesday. A trial on possible damages would be scheduled later.
2 named outstanding UC medical alumni
Pediatrician Dr. William Gerhardt and AIDS expert Dr. Peter Frame have been honored as 1999 Distinguished Alumni of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine for outstanding leadership and contributions to their fields.
Dr. Gerhardt, who earned his medical degree from UC in 1954, practiced pediatrics in Western Hills for more than 38 years. Dr. Frame, who received his medical degree in 1969 and later completed a fellowship in infectious diseases, is director of the UC AIDS Clinical Trial Unit, one of the largest of its kind.
Golf Manor man held on pot-growing charges
Drug Abuse Reduction Task Force (DART) officers arrested a 29-year-old Golf Manor man Monday on felony drug charges for allegedly growing marijuana in his basement.
A search warrant led to the arrest of Jerome Harris on charges of drug possession and cultivating marijuana. Police seized a number of plants and chemicals from a home in the 2300 block of Losantiville Avenue.
Upon serving the warrant, Golf Manor police found children living in unsanitary conditions next door.
Their mother, Lisa Green, 25, was arrested on four counts of child endangering for allegedly neglecting her children. The Hamilton County Department of Human Services placed her children with a grandmother while the case is pending.
Mr. Harris was being held at the Hamilton County Justice Center and is awaiting a grand jury's decision on indictments.
Ms. Green must return to court for her next hearing on her misdemeanor charges.
Car-truck-bus crash kills couple from Pa.
CELINA, Ohio — A Pennsylvania couple died in the crash of their car, a tractor-trailer rig and a school bus.
The accident happened Monday afternoon at Ohio 49 and Ohio 707 in Mercer County, about 75 miles northwest of Dayton.
The car failed to yield to the truck at an intersection, and both vehicles then collided with a bus carrying eight children, Mercer County sheriff's officials said.
The car's driver, John L. Freed, 68, and his wife, Dorothy Freed, both of Brownstown, Pa., died at the scene, Coroner Tim Heinrichs said. Mrs. Freed's age was not available.
There were no serious injuries to the children or to the other drivers, authorities said.
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Tell us what you think
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County, city fret about losing frequencies
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GET TO IT
'Love! Valour!' funny, spirited
Uterine fibroids procedure offers hysterectomy option
Crossing guard solution sought
Fired worker criticizes DHL in suit
Five Lebanon teen-agers hurt in wreck
HMO plan may bar lawsuits
Jail opponents rattle cages
Land battle may land in court
Lebanon picks manager
Man held in beating death at bar
Mason schools squeezed
Ohio House to reconsider lemon law
OU equipping dorms with computers
School-levy triumph repeated
School overflows to local church
Six-day peace walk ends
Stolen money catalyst for student's winning essay
Striking worker hit by truck
TRISTATE DIGEST
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Visit to Balkans calms Voinovich
