Cincinnati police are investigating a Westwood wreck Tuesday morning that started as a traffic stop for expired plates but ended with two men seriously hurt.

        A District 3 officer pulled over the Camaro about 11:15 a.m. along McHenry Avenue after noticing its 30-day tags had expired, police said. The male driver initially stopped the car but then gunned the engine and took off.

        The officer followed. She told her supervisors she did not see the wreck but could hear it.

        The car veered off the roadway and hit a utility pole. The impact was so great that at least one of the men was thrown from the car.

        Both men were in serious condition Monday night, police said.
       

Man gets 15 to life
for killing toddler

               A Winton Place man was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison Tuesday for killing a 16-month-old boy he was baby-sitting.

        Milo Washington, 22, was convicted last month of murder in the death of Mista Paige, his girlfriend's son. Judge Norbert Nadel sentenced him Tuesday in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court.

        Prosecutors say Mr. Washington was baby-sitting the boy July 11 when he struck him several times. They say the child suffered a fractured skull.
       

Pit bull owner
faces felony charge

               A College Hill man is facing up to 18 months in prison on charges of failing to control a pit bull that attacked a 6-year-old boy in Deer Park.

        Marc A. Bennett, 22, was indicted Tuesday on a felony charge because the attack was the second time a dog he owned bit someone. Under the law, a second offense allows prosecutors to seek the more serious felony charge.

        Prosecutors say the most recent incident occurred Oct. 11 when Mr. Bennett's pit bull, which was tied to a garage on O'Leary Avenue, attacked a child who walked by. The dog bit the boy's face.

        Another of Mr. Bennett's pit bulls attacked a Deer Park police officer in March 1999. The officer, who was bitten on the foot, shot and killed the dog.
       

Alcohol linked
to fatal accident

               OXFORD TWP. — A 28-year-old Oxford Township man was killed early Tuesday in a single-car crash that involved alcohol use, Butler County Coroner Dr. Richard P. Burkhardt said.

        Richard Moore, of the 7500 block of Brookville Road, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash on Taylor Road just north of Contreras Road. The car, bearing a temporary tag, had crashed into a culvert.

        A passer-by discovered the wreckage of Mr. Moore's 1988 Toyota Celica around 7 a.m., but Dr. Burkhardt estimated Mr. Moore had died up to five hours before that.

        Mr. Moore, who tested “quite above the legal limit” for alcohol, died of a crushed chest, Dr. Burkhardt said.
       

It's amnesty week
for overdue citations

               NORWOOD — An amnesty week to pay delinquent police citations will continue through Friday, Norwood police and clerk of courts officials said.

        Any citation which did not require an initial court appearance may be paid at the current payout amount at the clerk of courts office in City Hall, Montgomery Road and Elm Avenue. It includes parking tickets.

        All warrants, bench warrants, and fine-doubling requirements are waived during the amnesty period. Anyone who has had a driver's license forfeited must pay the forfeiture fee required by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

        Anyone wishing to take advantage of amnesty must appear in person at the clerk's office between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
       

Robber takes
night deposit bag

               GREEN TWP. — A 20-year-old Cheviot man was robbed of cash late Monday as he was attempting to make a night deposit at a Provident Bank branch in the 6500 block of Harrison Avenue here, a Hamilton County sheriff's spokesman said.

        Shaine Pierson, 20, who lives in the 4100 block of Harrison Avenue, told deputies he was at the bank's night deposit at 11:52 p.m. when a man armed with a black, semi-automatic handgun approached him, ordered him to the ground and took the night deposit bag, said sheriff's spokesman Steve Barnett.

        Mr. Pierson was making the deposit for the Ameristop Food Mart across the street, he said.

        A dark red, compact vehicle driven by a second suspect picked up the robber and left the scene.

        An undetermined amount of cash was taken. Mr. Person was unharmed.

        The incident is under investigation by the sheriff's criminal investigation section.
       

Warren Co. to pay
to increase drug fight

               LEBANON — Warren County commissioners reversed course on funding for the county drug task force Tuesday, agreeing to pay up to $40,000 next year to beef up the program.

        John Burke, director of the task force, had asked for $383,570 in large part to pay for three new agents and a secretary.

        The 7-year-old task force is currently funded by a $58,000 federal grant and $40,000 from eight area communities.

        Commissioners told Mr. Burke Tuesday that they would match up to $40,000 in new contributions from those communities.

        Also Tuesday, commissioners received an annexation petition for more than 100 acres along Morrow-Blackhawk Road to come into Morrow, commissioner Mike Kilburn said.

        The petition had been signed by 57 percent of property owners — surpassing the required 50 percent support.

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