Suspect arrested in N. College Hill death

NORTH COLLEGE HILL - Just hours after a man was shot and killed outside a home here Tuesday, authorities arrested a 24-year-old Cincinnati man in the death.

Gary Edward Lee was charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Daniel J. Brockhuis, 36, of North College Hill.

Brockhuis was found shot to death outside the back door of a home in the 2000 block of Carpenter Avenue just before 2 a.m. Tuesday. Brockhuis, who knew the residents at the home, had knocked on the door, but the residents did not answer. A short time later, the residents heard gunshots.

Rick M. Ernst, who lived at the home, looked out the back door, saw Brockhuis lying just outside the door and called 911.

Authorities had not established a motive in the shooting.

Powder find leads to home evacuations

GLENDALE - Authorities evacuated nine homes Tuesday afternoon after firefighters discovered a black powder and other ammunitions stored in a garage in the 800 block of South Troy Street.

The Hamilton County sheriff's Hazardous Deployment Unit removed the explosives, said Glendale Fire Chief Don Latta. The explosive did not ignite, and no one was hurt.

"It would have been a very dramatic explosion," Latta said.

Firefighters were called to a small fire in the garage about 2:15 p.m. and quickly put out the fire in a defective flue in a pot-bellied stove.

They then discovered about 50 pounds of black powder stored in various containers, mortar shells and other ammunition stored in the garage.

The property owner, the chief said, is a military aficionado and collector. He was not cited.

Disabled man died before fire at home

HAMILTON - An irregular heartbeat and heart disease, not fire, killed a disabled man whose body was found after a blaze struck his Monroe home last week, the Butler County coroner ruled Tuesday

Michael Pell, 60, died of natural causes before fire erupted in his home, said Richard P. Burkhardt. Pell, who used a wheelchair, was found dead in the living room of his home in the 200 block of Rachel Lane on Jan. 13.

Fire investigators said a cigarette caused the fire, which destroyed Pell's home.

Former girls' coach sentenced to 4 years

LEBANON - A Warren County judge Tuesday sentenced a former girls' softball coach to four years in prison for his sexual relationship with a 13-year-old girl who had played on his team.

Judge Neal Bronson also designated Barry Ramsay, 41, of Mason, a sexually oriented offender, which will require him to register his home address with authorities for 10 years.

During the sentencing, Ramsay expressed remorse for his actions. The girl's parents also gave an emotional statement about the impact of the crime on their family.

Mich. man indicted in bus confrontation

LEBANON - A Michigan man was indicted on charges that he wielded a knife on a Greyhound bus last month and threatened to kill the driver.

Richard P. Rock, 63, faces a charge of carrying a concealed weapon. The charge, released in a Warren County indictment, stems from a Dec. 8 incident in Franklin Township.

Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel said the bus was northbound on Interstate 75, traveling from Cincinnati to Michigan. When it neared the Franklin exit at Ohio 123, the suspect "pulled a knife out, threatened the passengers and threatened to slit the driver's throat," Hutzel said.

The folding knife had a 3-inch-long locking blade. The Ohio State Highway Patrol met the bus after it stopped at a rest area, where officers took the man off the bus.