Compiled from staff and wire reports
Smoking causes $80K in fire damage
Firefighters from six Hamilton County departments battled a blaze that caused an estimated $80,000 damage to a Woodlawn home Thursday morning.
One man was in the home at 10277 Faxon Court when the fire broke out, but escaped before firefighters arrived.
"He's the one who discovered the fire," Woodlawn Fire Investigator Jim Klems said. "He was awakened by the smoke. Smoke detectors were inoperable due to (dead) batteries."
The blaze was caused by smoking, officials said. The fire started in the kitchen. It was second fire this week blamed on smoking. On Monday, Franklin Kennedy died after a fire stated from a cigarette in his Milford apartment.
Suspect in three robberies arrested
Police arrested a 39-year-old Walnut Hills man Thursday and charged him with robbing three downtown Cincinnati banks this week.
Troy T. Rocker, whose last known address was in the 2900 block of Hackberry Street, was charged with three counts of robbery after he was arrested at a residence in the 2800 block of Woodburn Avenue.
All three robberies occurred in the area of Fourth and Vine streets. The Provident Bank was robbed Monday, the Bank One branch was robbed Tuesday and the Fifth Third Bank was held up Thursday.
The three bank robberies were the 28th, 29th and 30th of the year in Cincinnati. Of that total, 22 have been closed by arrests.
During 2001, there were 58 bank robberies.
City again holds off pit construction
FAIRFIELD - For the second time in recent weeks, city officials have blocked Greater Cincinnati Water Worksfrom building a 9-acre sludge pit for lime residue behind some of the most expensive homes here.
Fairfield's law director notified Water Works officials in a private meeting Thursday they are not going to receive a cut-and-fill permit for the sludge pit they applied for last month.
The cut-and-fill permit would have been a way for Water Works to sidestep a unanimous City Council denial Oct. 28 for a permit to build a sanitary landfill along River Road.
Now, the issue appears headed for court.
Cut-and-fill permits allow very limited development - mainly just the excavation or filling of dirt.
But city officials say the sludge pit qualifies as a garbage disposal operation, which requires City Council approval.
Mom, stepfather sent to jail for duct-taping
HAMILTON - A Fairfield Township man is going to jail for 20 days after a judge sentenced him Thursday for duct-taping his 12-year-old stepson to a lawn chair and leaving him in the sun for two hours.
Butler County Juvenile Court Judge David Neihaus sentenced David Wayne Edester, who was found guilty of child endangering, and suspended 70 days of his 90-day jail sentence. Mr. Edester was also put on probation for three years and ordered to attend anger management and parenting classes, and can have no contact with the boy. He began his jail time Thursday.
The boy's mother, Carla Edester, had 85 days of her 90-day jail sentence suspended, and also began her five-day jail time Thursday. She was also ordered into parenting classes and will be restricted to supervised visitation with the boy.
Burial fund opened for murder victim
A fund has been established to help pay for the burial of one of the victims of Monday's double murder-suicide in Westwood.
Donations for the family of Nicklas Tipple, 20, of Lancaster, can be sent c/o Fairfield National Bank, P.O. Box 607, Lancaster, OH 43130.
Mr. Tipple, a second-year architecture student at the University of Cincinnati, and Jennifer Duke, 19, a student at UC's College of Applied Science, were killed early Monday in her condo, police said, by another UC student, Nicklaus Joyce, 23, Ms. Duke's former boyfriend.
Mr. Joyce, Ms. Duke and her brother, Michael Duke, 18, went home to suburban Columbus last weekend together. There, on Saturday night, the relationship ended between Ms. Duke and Mr. Joyce, Cincinnati police said. Mr. Joyce bought a shotgun Sunday night at Wal-Mart in Columbia Township and shot Ms. Duke and Mr. Tipple with it before killing himself.
Fellow students are planning a candlelight remembrance ceremony for 7 p.m. Tuesday on the Campus Green. A reception will follow in the lobby of Turner Hall. Condolence cards for the families can be signed there.
Suspect surrenders in Pepper abduction
The second man sought in the aggravated robbery and kidnapping of Cincinnati City Councilman David Pepper was back in jail Thursday.
Michael Watkins, 18, of College Hill, turned himself in at 4 p.m. Thursday to two detectives. He was arrested Nov. 1 for a similar crime in Mount Lookout, but got out of jail before officers charged him Saturday in the Pepper case.
The other suspect, Michael Lee Gray, 21, of Westwood, was arrested Nov. 1 in the other case and remained behind bars.
The councilman was forced into his SUV outside his Mount Adams house Oct. 17 by two men who got $400 from ATMs plus other cash.
Weapons found at school; 3 charged
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Officials found loaded guns in two lockers and a knife on a student at a high school.
The weapons were found Wednesday during a search of all lockers and book bags at Keifer Alternative Center.
Three students - two age 17 and one 15 - were charged with delinquency counts of conveyance/possession of a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance on school premises, police Lt. David Swords said Thursday.
The students will be expelled for six months.
The weapons were discovered when a student accused one of the arrested teens of stealing a portable CD player, police said. During a search of the teen's locker, school officials discovered a loaded automatic pistol in a coat pocket.
During a search of other lockers, police found a loaded pistol in a coat hanging in the 15-year-old's locker. Officers later found a 6-inch knife on a third student.
