Jail guard resigns during investigation

        BATAVIA — A sheriff's corrections officer resigned Wednesday amid allegations he made improper advances to a female inmate at the Clermont County jail.

        Corrections Officer John Graham, whose age and address were not available, had been placed on administrative leave while the allegations were being investigated, said Chief Deputy Chris Willis. Mr. Graham, a nine-year veteran of the department, resigned Wednesday, he said.

        Clermont County Prosecutor Don White said no criminal charges will be pursued. There were no allegations of violence involved in the conduct, he said.

Hope Taft hosts meal at McDonald House

        Ohio first lady Hope Taft will host a dinner Monday for guests and volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House in Avondale as part of the third annual National Family Day.

        Fine china and crystal used during the dinner, provided by the National Tabletop and Giftware Association, will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House, which houses relatives of patients at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

Middletown trucker killed in Mass. wreck

        CHELMSFORD, Mass. - A Middletown truck driver was killed when his rig slammed into a bridge abutment on Interstate 495 on Wednesday night. State police Sgt. David Paine said the accident involved a tractor-trailer driven by Harlan Sexton, 67, of Middletown, and a car driven by Bonnie Cunningham, 62, of Greenfield, Mass.

        Witnesses said Ms. Cunningham's car crossed the truck's path, causing it to veer into the bridge abutment, Sgt. Paine said.

Woman inmate dies; cause isn't known

        BELLEFONTAINE, Ohio - An inmate died after falling from her bunk at the Logan County jail.

        Susan Samples, 42, of Bellefontaine, died Wednesday after falling nearly five feet to the floor.

        Logan County Sheriff Mike Henry said she was taken to Mary Rutan Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

        “It doesn't look like foul play is involved,” Sheriff Henry said. “She fell out of a bunk, but we're not sure what happened to cause her to fall out.”

        Investigators believe the woman may have been having medical problems. They said another inmate heard her making noises before she fell.

Taft declines to watch execution

        COLUMBUS — Gov. Bob Taft and wife, Hope, declined an invitation by convicted child-killer Robert Buell to witness his execution, scheduled next week.

        “I just don't think the governor thinks that's an appropriate thing for him to do,” Taft spokeswoman Mary Anne Sharkey said Wednesday.

        Mr. Taft is considering a clemency request by Mr. Buell. The Ohio Parole Board recommended unanimously on Monday that he reject it.

        Mr. Buell, 62, is to die Wednesday by lethal injection for the July 1982 murder of 11-year-old Krista Lea Harrison of Marshallville in Wayne County.

        Prison officials said Mr. Buell isn't inviting any other witnesses to his execution.

Price Hill robber gets away with cash

        Cincinnati police are searching for a man with a handgun who robbed Franklin Savings and Loan at 5115 Glenway Ave. in Price Hill Thursday.

        The robber got away with an undisclosed amount of cash.

        The robber was described as black, in his late 20s or mid-30s, with dreadlocks, and wearing a white baseball cap, a dark nylon windbreaker and nylon pants.

        Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 352-3040.

Three Cincinnati men arrested in Ky. holdup

        COVINGTON — Police arrested three Cincinnati men after a chase through backyards and residential streets in Latonia.

        Two men entered the Huntington Bank at Decoursey Avenue and West 36th Street at 9:37 a.m. One

        pulled a handgun while the other jumped over the counter and began taking money out of the cash drawers. The two ran from the bank and down an allay to a getaway vehicle driven by a third man.

        Thirty minutes after the robbery was reported, three suspects had been apprehended.

        Covington Police said Thursday afternoon that bank robbery charges are pending against Andre Davis, 26; Jamal Jones, 28; and Keylan Martin, 26, all of Cincinnati.

New suits allege abuse by priest

        YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Three men and a 12-year-old boy sued two Roman Catholic dioceses on Thursday, saying they were abused by a priest who was dismissed in Youngstown and later hired by the Saginaw, Mich., diocese.

        The civil lawsuit was the eighth of its kind filed in two days in Ohio by Jeff Anderson, a St. Paul, Minn., attorney whose firm said it has handled more than 500 cases of abuse by clergy in 20 years.

        While many allegations against Ohio priests are from the 1960s to 1980s, the Michigan boy in the latest lawsuit said he was abused as recently as last year.

        The Rev. John E. Hammer and both the Youngstown and Saginaw dioceses are named in the lawsuit, assigned to Mahoning County Common Pleas Judge R. Scott Krichbaum.

        Father Hammer, 49, announced his resignation from the pulpit of St. Mary Church in Alma on April 27 after the allegations from Youngstown emerged. He had been a pastor at churches in Alma and nearby St. Louis, Mich., in the Saginaw diocese.

Suspect in killing violated parole

        WOOSTER, Ohio - The suspect in the dismemberment murder of 14-year-old Kristen Jackson violated his parole while attending the Wayne County Fair, authorities said.

        Joel D. Yockey, 46, was being held pending a hearing on Oct. 2. He is being investigated for associating with minors.

        Mr. Yockey could get court-ordered counseling or a couple of days in jail, said Andrea Dean, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Corrections.

        He has not been charged in Kristen's death or disappearance from the fair, but charges are expected to be filed by next week, said sheriff's Capt. Douglas Hunter.

        Mr. Yockey was at the fair on Sept. 7 - the same day Kristen first attended - but it is unclear whether Mr. Yockey returned to the fairgrounds on Sept. 9, the day Kristen vanished, Capt. Hunter said.

        Mr. Yockey was released from prison in March after serving a 15-year sentence for raping a teenager in 1986. He was living with his parents west of Wooster. Kristen was known to visit a friend whose family lived next door to Mr. Yockey.Compiled from staff and wire reports

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