Local blood supply low; donors needed

        Dwindling donations, especially over the holiday weekend, prompted the Hoxworth Blood Center to issue an emergency appeal for blood donors.

        Greater Cincinnati has a critical need for all blood types, specifically O-positive and A-positive, Hoxworth officials said.

        People can donate at Hoxworth's Corryville headquarters; or the downtown, Tri-County, Anderson, Western Hills, Blue Ash and Fort Mitchell, Ky. centers. To schedulule an appointment call (513) 451-0910 or (800) 830-1091.
       

Fisherman's body found in Ohio River

        BATAVIA — The body of a fisherman whose boat capsized in the Ohio River May 13 was found Wednesday.

TWO INJURED IN COLERAIN CRASH: A motorist is readied for a flight to University Hospital after a two-car crash Wednesday on northbound U.S. 27 at East Miami River Road. Colerain Township crews also responded. The second driver was taken to Mercy Hospital Fairfield. (Glenn Hartong photo) | ZOOM |

        Officials with the Clermont County sheriff's office said the body of Danny Eaton, 27, of Foster, Ky., was found about 11 a.m. near the Meldahl Dam.

        The body of Robert Wood, 24, of Falmouth, Ky., was recovered last week. A third man in the boat, Jeremy King, 25, of West Berry, Ky., made it safely to shore.
       

Ex-Schott Buick manager gets prison

        The former general manager of Schott Buick was sentenced to 11 months in prison Wednesday.

        Daniel Welty, 39, of Florence, Ky., pleaded guilty this month to taking down payments on cars and pocketing the money.

        When the car buyers would return to the dealership to pick their cars up, there would be no record of their down payments.

        Mr. Welty had been charged with 19 counts of theft but 12 of those counts were dismissed by Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Ann Marie Tracey, according to a plea agreement.

        Mr. Welty also was ordered to pay $7,500 restitution to Schott Buick and $6,800 directly to Marge Schott, who owns the dealership.
       

Doctor doubts bleach caused death

        It is doubtful that bleach inhalation contributed to the death of Archie Dale Hall, a University Hospital doctor told a Hamilton County jury Wednesday in the trial of Mr. Hall's teen daughter, who is accused of killing him.

        “I'm fairly skeptical that bleach inhalation caused the (adult respiratory distress syndrome) Mr. Hall suffered before he died,” said Dr. Mitchell Raskin, director of the hospital's medical intensive care unit.

SUV WRECKS ON I-275: A 56-year-old man died Wednesday night when his Jeep Grand Cherokee struck a cement abutment on westbound Interstate 275 between Interstate 471 and the Kellogg exit in Highland Heights. His name was withheld until relatives could be notified. The man was pronounced dead at University Hospital after the 8:07 p.m. crash. (Brandi Stafford photo) | ZOOM |

        However, he couldn't say what else might have led to Mr. Hall's death.

        The 39-year-old Avondale man died Feb. 18 after weeks on a ventilator.

        Mr. Hall's daughter, who is being tried for involuntary manslaughter in Juvenile Court, is accused of splashing her father with bleach Jan. 28 during an argument over the girl's 17-year-old boyfriend.

        The defense has contended that the girl, now 15, who is not being named because of her age, did not intend to hurt her father. He lawyers said the bleach was in her hands when her father struck her and she “reflexively” tossed the bottle.

        A representative from the coroner's office is expected to testify today.
       

Former officer gets early prison release

        After spending two months of a six-month sentence in prison, a former Norwood police officer convicted of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl was granted release Wednesday and ordered to serve probation.

        In February, Bobby Smith, 39, pleaded guilty to gross sexual imposition.

        In March, Hamilton County Judge Ann Marie Tracey sentenced Mr. Smith to six months in prison and ordered him to register as a sexual offender.

        “I know the crime I committed was wrong and I am extremely sorry for doing so,” Mr. Smith wrote to the judge. He told her that he would undergo treatment if released.
       

Depodesta resigns Cincinnati police

        A Cincinnati officer involved in a controversial police shooting is leaving the force to become an FBI agent.

        Spc. Douglas Depodesta, whose resignation from Cincinnati is effective Saturday, was one of two officers who shot Lorenzo Collins, 25, an escaped mental patient who threatened them with a brick. The 1997 fatal shooting prompted protests, changes in how police deal with mentally ill people and a $200,000 city payout to Mr. Collins' family.

        Spc. Depodesta was cleared by four investigations. However, he had to sue to get his gun and police powers back.

        Robert Newman, attorney for Mr. Collins' family, said it wasn't his role to “stir up fires that have already been put out.”
       

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