Students charged in pipe-bomb case

ANDERSON TOWNSHIP - Two Anderson High School seniors are facing charges after they admitted detonating pipe bombs at two Anderson Township parks, police say.

Michael Voorhees and Alex Hefren, both 18, are each charged with one count of arson.

The pipe bombs were detonated Saturday. The first device was set off at Veterans Park at 8531 Forest Road about 7:35 p.m., causing minor damage to a vending machine, Hamilton County sheriff's deputies said.

About two hours later, a pipe bomb was detonated at Kellogg Park, 6710 Kellogg Ave. That blast destroyed two vending machines and damaged a concession building.

The two suspects were identified and charged after a tip was reported to Crime Stoppers, officials said.

The incidents remain under investigation.

Lawyer to oversee sex-abuse payments

Cincinnati lawyer Matthew Garretson was hired Thursday to oversee the disbursement of up to $3 million to victims of clergy sexual abuse in Greater Cincinnati.

Garretson will help establish the formula for determining how and to whom the money should be distributed. Garretson held a similar post in Louisville last year, when the diocese there distributed more than $25 million to abuse victims.

The Archdiocese of Cincinnati created the fund in November as part of a settlement with Hamilton County prosecutors.

The settlement resulted in a criminal conviction of the archdiocese for failing to report abuse allegations.

A tribunal of three lawyers was put in charge of the victims' fund and will evaluate claims of abuse case-by-case. The tribunal will begin accepting claims within two weeks.