Tuesday, June 15, 1999
TRISTATE DIGEST
DUI defendant's
comments admissible
A judge ruled Monday that Mark Walters knew what he was doing when he spoke to police after he was charged with driving his car into a 12-year-old boy.
The decision means prosecutors will be able to use all the evidence they gathered against Mr. Walters when he goes to trial later this year.
Mr. Walters, 36, of Lebanon, is charged with felonious assault and is accused of driving drunk.
Prosecutors say he drove his Chevrolet pickup truck into Joshua Kostreva as the boy rode his bike along Fields Ertel Road. The boy is paralyzed from the waist down.
Mr. Walters has five prior DUI convictions and could face up to eight years in prison. Prosecutors say he made comments about the incident and gave indications he was drunk following his arrest.
Mr. Walters' attorney had argued those comments should not be presented to a jury and that his client had not consented to a sobriety test.
Judge Robert Kraft, of Hamilton County Common Pleas Court, concluded the evidence would be allowed at trial.
18-year-old woman killed in I-75 crash
UNION TOWNSHIP — An 18-
year-old woman died early Monday when her car went out of control on a wet roadway and struck a concrete pillar in Butler County.
Ivy Smith, 18, of Liberty Township, was killed in the one-car crash just before 2 a.m.
The crash occurred as her 1989 Honda Acura was northbound on Interstate 75 near Union Centre Boulevard. A witness said Ms. Smith was attempting to change lanes when her car spun out of control, according to the Hamilton office of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Theft-of-document suspect to be evaluated
A federal magistrate ordered a psychiatric evaluation Monday for Rick Trimble, charged with stealing court documents.
Mr. Trimble, 36, of the 200 block of Mulberry Street, Mount Auburn, was arrested Saturday.
Court clerks said Mr. Trimble took the order dismissing a lawsuit he had initiated in U.S. District Court. Mr. Trimble was entitled to a copy of the order at 50 cents a page, but not the original, a prosecutor said.
Mr. Trimble will be examined at a psychiatric facility chosen by the federal Bureau of Prisons. Meanwhile, he was being held without bond.
Felony theft of government documents carries a maximum of three years in prison, but sentences are determined by the amount stolen and an individual's criminal record.
Mayfly invasion hits Lake Erie's shore
PORT CLINTON, Ohio — Like extras from a 1950s horror movie, mayflies again are swarming towns along Lake Erie.
“They're in the street, in the air and on the sidewalks around gas stations and restaurants where lights attract them,” said City Council Clerk Laurie Eberle.
“They're here by the thousands, snapping, crackling and popping on Perry Street as cars go over them.”
The mayfly invasion will last about two weeks.
They swarm by the millions onto businesses and homes, covering doors and screens.
Mayflies were killed off from the 1950s through the 1980s by high levels of phosphates that reduced oxygen in Lake Erie.
But efforts to reduce phosphates have been so successful that the mayfly has made a comeback. Huge numbers are gobbled up by yellow perch and other fish, making them an important part of the lake's food chain.
Northern Ohio gets aid to fight drugs
WASHINGTON — Northern Ohio's intersecting interstate highways have helped attract drug traf fickers to that part of the state, creating enough of a problem to help five counties qualify for special federal attention.
Cuyahoga, Lucas, Summit, Stark and Mahoning counties are in line for designation as a high intensity drug trafficking area.
The designation brings with it $700,000 immediately and about $2 million annually for law enforcement agencies in those areas, Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, said Monday.
Mr. DeWine was to appear today with Gen. Barry McCaffrey, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, at a news conference announcing that the Ohio counties and four areas in other states would receive the special designation.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, said the grant money would provide more computers, training and equipment for law enforcement in the designated counties.
Mr. Kucinich said as many as 10 “major drug trafficking operations” have linked the Cleveland area to drug supply lines.
More students to get money meant for poor
COLUMBUS — School officials are taking advantage of relaxed government guidelines to expand the number of school buildings that qualify for a federal program targeted at low-income students.
The Columbus Board of Education was scheduled to vote today on a budget that divvies up the district's share of the federal Title I program, which provides $8.2 billion for extra tutoring help for disadvantaged children nationwide.
All but 10 of the district's 144 schools will spend their Title I money on programs that could benefit all students, the Columbus Dispatch reported Monday.
While some critics say the shift shortchanges poor students, school officials say they're trying to cut through the red tape associated with the program and eliminate ineffective programs.
The old program created the unintended consequence of lowering expectations of poor students by removing them from higher-achieving peers, said Dee Morris, head of the district's efforts to raise proficiency test scores.
Winner of $24 million claims lottery prize
DAYTON, Ohio — A Dayton man claimed a $24 million jackpot from the Ohio Lottery on Monday.
Donald Gels, 43, bought the winning Super Lotto ticket at a Meijer store in Englewood near Dayton. Mr. Gels chose to receive his prize in annual payments of $632,308 after taxes for the next 26 years.
Mr. Gels could not be reached for comment. He decided not to participate in a lottery-sponsored news conference, and there was no listing for him in the Dayton-area telephone directory.
Judge sets bond; defendant lets loose
WILLOUGHBY, Ohio — A man who appeared in Municipal Court on a charge of driving while his license was under suspension is in more trouble after spitting on the judge Monday.
Judge Richard Hoose was hit with spit after setting a $25,000 bond for Anthony J. Cisternino, 31, of Wickliffe. The court's chief bailiff, Russell Smith, said Judge Hoose set a high bond because he thought Mr. Cisternino might not appear at future court sessions.
Judge Hoose, who is retired, was substituting Monday for Municipal Judge Larry Allen in the court about 10 miles east of Cleveland. Mr. Cisternino appeared without a lawyer, but Judge Hoose said he would grant the defendant's request to have one appointed.
“As he was leaving, he spit at the judge,” Mr. Smith said. “The judge kind of dodged it but did get hit on the robe.”
Mr. Smith said Judge Hoose could have charged Mr. Cisternino with contempt of court but instead decided to consult with Prosecutor Richard Perez.
“There probably will be an additional charge tied to that action,” Mr. Smith said.
Hospitals give critical care to Y2K plans
Luken: Council has him 'pumped'
No replacement yet for Luken at Channel 5
Too many deer parked here
Boy's eye for detail helps nab suspects
Father gets prison time
Help comes to disabled people
Highway no toll on Butler drivers
Teacher owes to Rosa Parks
Worm dirties work week
Dial 'N' for Naked Cowboy
Oldenberg loses fizz, files for reorganization
President plans July 23 stop here
Research backs benefits of soy
Youth shot in Columbia Twp.; suspects sought
100 years, 10 stars
Controversy surrounds man's arrest
County wins in Supreme Court
Guilty plea in creek slaying
Stores sop up damage
Donation will buy 4 cameras
Lakota to dissect school day
Lt. governor talks school safety
Newport cool to idea of 911 study
Seniors in public housing complain
2 men indicted for in audio thefts
Center project stymies council
Despite calls, twisters didn't hit Boone Co.
Former GOP leader Eric Deters to run for Kenton attorney in 2002
Gannett unveils ethics rules
Kentucky teen struck by lightning
Lebanon looks at zone changes
Limo owner convicted of evidence tampering
Mediation ordered in Justin case
State recommends 12th St. plan
Symmes Township administrator resigns
Vote soon on Fort Wash. Way cost hikes
GET TO IT
TRISTATE DIGEST
