Gunman robs bank, abducts employee

        An armed man robbed a downtown Cincinnati bank Wednesday and abducted an employee who was forced to drive him to his escape.

Cincinnati police officers investigate a robbery at Winton Savings and Loan. (Glenn Hartong photo) | ZOOM |

        Cincinnati police said the man entered the Winton Savings & Loan Co at 101 W. Central Parkway shortly before 9 a.m. and robbed the bank of an undisclosed amount of money.

        He then abducted a worker at gunpoint and forced her to drive him into the adjacent Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. There, he got out of the car on Vine Street near 14th or 15th Street, authorities said.

        The woman was not injured.

        Preliminary police reports described the robber as black, about 19 years old and 5 feet, 8 inches tall. He was wearing a red shirt.

        Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers, 352-3040.
       

Shortage possible for tetanus vaccine

        As residents clean up from recent flash floods, several health departments and the local chapter of the American Red Cross said Wednesday they are worried that tetanus vaccine may run short.

        Manufacturers apparently have not been keeping up with production, said Jerry Dickens, Red Cross disaster services chairman.

        Health officials recommend that people who suffer puncture wounds, such as stepping on a rusty nail, get a tetanus shot, but only if they have not been inoculated in the past five to 10 years.
       

Roselawn man, 81, killed crossing street

        An 81-year-old man crossing Losantiville Avenue in Roselawn died Wednesday afternoon after being hit by a car.

        Mikhail Frenkel of Roselawn was taken to University Hospital, where he died shortly after arrival.

        The driver, Kevin K. Kelly, 27, of Roselawn was not injured.

        Mr. Frenkel was not crossing in a marked crosswalk, officials said. No charges have been filed. Investigators say neither alcohol nor speed were factors.
       

Teen guilty of killing ice cream truck driver

        A 16-year-old boy pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges of murder and aggravated robbery for the March death of ice cream truck driver Floyd Kilpatrick.

        Charles Mitchell Roberts of Price Hill could face 18 years to life in prison when he is sentenced by Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Ann Marie Tracey on Aug. 29.

        Mr. Kilpatrick, 51, worked as a driver with Captain Tom's. He was shot once in the chest at 9:30 p.m. March 23 while selling ice cream in English Woods.

Protester arrested at courthouse

        A 60-year-old Over-the-Rhine man, who can name City Council chambers and Fountain Square as places he has been arrested while protesting, can add the Hamilton County Courthouse to his list.

        Sheriff's deputies arrested James Hardy on Wednesday shortly after 9 a.m. on charges of criminal trespass and disorderly conduct.

        A sheriff's spokesman said Mr. Hardy refused deputies' warnings to leave the steps in front of the building.

        He and several other protesters showed up at the courthouse Wednesday because of two pretrial hearings involving Cincinnati police officers Robert Jorg and Stephen Roach.

        Officer Jorg is charged with felony involuntary manslaughter in the Nov. 7 death of Roger Owensby Jr. Officer Roach is accused of misdemeanor negligent homicide in the April 7 death of Timothy Thomas.

        Mr. Hardy is already awaiting trial July 31 on charges that he interrupted last year's opening ceremonies of Oktoberfest on Fountain Square while protesting a different issue.
       

IRS sues Reds over tax refund

        The Internal Revenue Service has filed a lawsuit demanding the Reds pay $163,244 in payroll taxes and interest the IRS says it erroneously refunded to the ball club.

        The government's claim, filed Monday in U.S. District Court, demands that amount plus interest from the Reds.

        John Allen, the Reds' chief operating officer, said Wednesday he had not seen the claim and was unaware of it.

        Government lawyers said the Reds filed for the refund on payroll taxes the team made in 1997, saying it overpaid.

Water main break closes road section

        ANDERSON TWP. — Part of Hunley Road was blocked Wednesday night after a water main break punched a 4- to 6-foot hole in the southbound lane, about a quarter-mile east of Clough Pike.

        Lt. Sean Smith of the Anderson Township Fire Department said the break happened at about 6 p.m. Water shot 50 feet in the air, hitting overhead wires and flooding a nearby home, he said.

Man accused in rape of 5-year-old girl

        A Walnut Hills man has been charged with sexually assaulting a 5-year-old girl.

        Cincinnati police charged Randy Lamar Hutley, 34, of the 2500 block of Stanton Avenue, with rape and aggravated burglary.

        Police said Mr. Hutley walked into a Millvale apartment, where the girl lives, through a closed but unlocked door at about 4:25 p.m. Tuesday. Police said he raped the girl inside the apartment. Mr. Hutley was arrested late Tuesday.
       

Verity principal leaving for Kentucky district

        TRENTON — Verity Middle School Principal Larry Knapp is expected to leave the Middletown Schools to become assistant superintendent of the Edgewood Schools.

        He will replace Tom York on Aug. 1 when Mr. York moves up to superintendent, replacing retiring Superintendent Dale Robertson.

        Mr. Knapp was selected from a dozen applicants. The board of education is scheduled to vote on a two-year contract for Mr. Knapp at its Aug. 13 meeting. His salary would be $78,000 annually.
       

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