Compiled from staff and wire reports

A man accused in the shooting deaths of two men on Beekman Street Oct. 16 was indicted Friday.

A Hamilton County grand jury indicted Marvin French, 30, of Cumminsville, on three murder charges and two charges of robbery.

Alberto Hamilton, 29, of Hamilton, and Jermico Clifford, 26, of Cincinnati, were found shot to death on the floor of a garage at 3217 Beekman St., according to Cincinnati police.

Trick-or-treater injured critically

NORTH COLLEGE HILL - An 8-year-old boy was struck by a vehicle and suffered critical injuries during trick-or-treat Friday evening, North College Hill police said.

The child was with two other boys who were crossing Simpson Avenue about 6:30 p.m. His companions stopped in the middle of the street, but he continued into the path of an oncoming vehicle, a police news release said.

"The child struck was wearing a Halloween mask at the time, which may have limited his peripheral vision and his ability to detect the (vehicle)," police said.

The boy, whose name was not released, was in critical condition at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, police said.

Stormwater district gets formal approval

DEERFIELD TWP. - A new stormwater district should make it easier to tackle drainage problems here, officials said Friday, after a judge approved the district's creation under state law.

Township officials worked for a year to create the district, Trustee President Bill Morand said, because Ohio law limited townships' ability to make storm water improvements on private property.

The district is the first of its kind in Warren County, officials said.

Trustees will appoint a district board in January, and engineering and design work on specific improvements can begin. Morand said he wants the township to pay for most of the costs.

Anyone interested in serving on the board can call the township at 683-5805.

Three charged in alleged TV-copy prank

CANTON - Three people spent Halloween in jail, accused of staging a murder and making two women believe they were about to be shot before revealing it was all a prank that authorities say copied a television show.

Coriann R. Lapp, 21; Zachary Troyer, 21, and Timothy L. Sommers, 23, were charged Friday with felony abduction. All are from Lake Township near Canton.

If convicted, each faces from one to five years in prison, said city Prosecutor Frank Forchione.

The alleged prank mirrored scenes shown on Scare Tactics, a cable TV show.

Athens soccer player charged in elbow hit

ATHENS, Ohio - A high school soccer player has been charged with felonious assault after authorities said he elbowed an opponent in the mouth during a break in play of a Division III regional tournament game.

Daniel Malloy, 18, of Albany, is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Thursday in Athens County Municipal Court.

County Prosecutor David Warren said Malloy, an Albany Alexander player, assaulted Coshocton's T.J. Helbling during the game Oct. 25.

"This is way beyond a flagrant foul. It had no relation to the game at all. The victim was just walking by Malloy," Warren said.

Helbling's four bottom front teeth were pushed back into his mouth at an angle and the bone below his teeth was broken, said Darlene Helbling, the player's mother.

Charges to be dropped in toy gun incident

LORAIN, Ohio - The city's law director said Friday he wants to drop charges against a woman who became upset that her 9-year-old son was arrested at gunpoint after he waved a toy gun.

Law Director Mark Provenza said he plans to file paperwork in court to revoke the obstructing official business and resisting arrest charges against Tamyka Saunders, 28. Prosecutors already have said they won't pursue charges against her son, Thomas Clark Jr.

The police officer who arrested the two on Saturday asked that the charges be dropped, Provenza said.

A passer-by who saw the boy playing with the toy called police and said a male was waving a pistol, police said.

An officer aimed his gun at the boy's head, ordered him to the ground, handcuffed him and arrested him on a charge of juvenile delinquency by reason of inducing panic.

Saunders said her son told police the gun was a toy. Police arrested her after she pleaded with officers not to arrest her son and instead give him a warning, according to the report.