Joe Lyons •
April 3, 2024
Officers responded to 67 E. Chestnut St. at approximately 02:02 pm today after receiving a 911 call that a shooting had occurred. Upon arrival Mansfield Police Officers located a 16-year-old victim inside the residence with what appeared to be a gunshot wound(s).
The victim was transported to Ohio Health Mansfield by the Mansfield Fire Department where the victim was pronounced deceased a short time later.
The Richland County Coroner’s Office will be sending the victim for an autopsy as this is an ongoing investigation.
Major Crimes detectives are working to find out what led to the shooting death as well as to identify a suspect(s). Details are very limited as this is an active and fluid investigation.
Additional details will be released once they are available.
Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to please call Major Crimes Detective Ronnie Swisher at (419) 755-9432.
Joe Lyons •
March 31, 2024
Photo Credit: https://richlandnewsnetwork.com
Mount Gilead — The Mount Gilead Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal traffic crash that occurred on Sunday, March 31, 2024 at approximately 2:38 AM, on Interstate 71 near mile post 152 in Franklin Township, Morrow County.
Larry A. Dotson, age 32, of Canton, Ohio, was operating a 2020 Hyundai Tucson northbound on Interstate 71 in the southbound lanes. Salvador Alfaro Castaneda, age 26, of Columbus, Ohio, was operating a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee southbound on Interstate 71. Mr. Dotson’s vehicle was going the wrong-way and struck by Mr. Castaneda’s vehicle head-on.
Both vehicles overturned and caught fire after impact.
Mr. Castaneda’s vehicle was occupied by two passengers; Cristal Galloso Olvera, age 31, and Ivonne Olvera, age 50, both of Columbus, Ohio. Mr. Dotson’s vehicle was occupied by one passenger; Marlee S. Middleton, age 32, of Massillon, Ohio.
Larry Dotson, Marlee Middleton, Cristal Galloso and Ivonne Olvera were pronounced deceased on scene by medical personnel. Mr. Castaneda was transported from the scene to Ohio Health in Mansfield with serious injuries.
It is unknown if drugs and alcohol were factors in this crash. Mr. Castaneda was wearing his seat-belt at the time of the crash and it is unknown if his passengers were wearing seat-belts. Mr. Dotson and his passenger were not wearing seat-belts at the time of the traffic crash.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol was assisted on scene by Morrow County EMS, Morrow County Coroner’s Office, Ohio Department of Transportation and the Mount Gilead Fire Department.
The traffic crash remains under investigation by the Mount Gilead Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Joe Lyons •
March 31, 2024
Officers responded to 423 Spring St. at approximately 01:49 am on March 30, 2024 after receiving a 911 call that a shooting had occurred. Upon arrival Mansfield Police Officers located a 25-year-old victim inside the residence deceased.
It appears the victim sustained multiple gunshot wounds thus resulting in the victims death. The Richland County Coroner’s Office will be sending the victim for an autopsy as this is an ongoing investigation.
Major Crimes detectives are working to find out what led to the shooting death as well as to identify a suspect(s). Details are very limited as this is an active and fluid investigation. Additional details will be released once they are available.
Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to please call Major Crimes Detective Rick Clapp at (419) 755-9470.
Joe Lyons •
March 28, 2024
Ashland – Transformation Network and New Life Community Church are partnering to relaunch Celebrate Recovery in Ashland. Celebrate Recovery is a Christ-Centered 12-step recovery program with the goal of helping everyone overcome their hurts, habits, and hang-ups. Celebrate Recovery isn’t only for those with addictions but is also for people that have depression, anxiety, fear, sexual addictions, food addictions, family issues, mental health issues, and various types of abuse issues. This ministry provides help, motivation, education, and a family to do life with.
Celebrate Recovery is an environment where you’ll develop lifelong friendships and be empowered to be victorious in life through Christ.
Celebrate Recovery Ashland would like to offer help to the community and to those who are struggling with any hurt, habit, or hang-up. Celebrate Recovery is different from other recovery programs in that we believe that Jesus Christ helps those who need help with all types of issues. There are always underlying issues that make people want to cover up the pain with drugs and alcohol. Celebrate Recovery provides a safe place to express what you are dealing with and offers hope and encouragement to get through it.
Celebrate Recovery meetings will be held at New Life Community Church 1489 St Rt. 511 every Thursday. The night will start off with a meal at 5:30, followed by a large group meeting at 6:30, and share groups starting at 7:30. Join us for our kickoff meeting April 11, 2024. We are saving a seat for YOU.
About Transformation Network:
Joe Lyons •
March 27, 2024
Responding to the community’s requests, Ashland County Pictures is thrilled to announce the launch of its long-awaited Tip Line, made possible through partnership with Boost Mobile Ashland situated at 332 E Main Street, Ashland OH.
Residents can now easily report accidents, fires, crimes, or any other news tips by simply calling or texting the dedicated News Tips line at 419-770-7127. This initiative aims to ensure swift broadcasting of crucial information, enabling the delivery of live updates accompanied by videos and pictures.
We are extremely proud to partner with Boost Mobile Ashland in our mission to provide timely and comprehensive news coverage to the community.
But that’s not all! In an effort to enhance our services and cater to our rapidly expanding audience of over 125,000 individuals, Ashland County Pictures is excited to introduce a brand-new online platform. Developed from scratch, this platform promises an enhanced user experience and better accessibility to news content.
Joe Lyons, the founder of Ashland County Pictures, invites the audience to participate in shaping the future of our online presence. We are presenting three distinct designs for our new platform, and we want YOU to vote for your favorite!
🌟 Vote for Your Favorite Design: Click here to view the designs and cast your vote!
Your input is invaluable in helping us tailor our platform to meet your preferences and needs. Let your voice be heard, and together, let’s build a platform that truly serves the community.
Stay tuned for more updates as we embark on this exciting journey of growth and innovation with you, our valued audience!
Joe Lyons •
March 26, 2024
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced today that the State has distributed one million fentanyl test strips in an initiative to combat the opioid crisis. The strips serve as crucial tools in harm reduction efforts, allowing users to test substances for the presence of fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid that has been increasingly found laced in various street drugs, contributing significantly to overdose fatalities.
“By providing access to fentanyl test strips, we empower individuals to make informed decisions and potentially avert tragic consequences associated with opioid use,” said Governor DeWine.
Unintentional drug overdose fatalities among Ohio residents decreased by 5% in 2022, totaling 4,915 deaths, while nationwide there was a marginal 1% rise in overdose deaths during the same period. Fentanyl was involved in 81% of those deaths, often in combination with other drugs.
Since April 2023, RecoveryOhio, the Ohio Department of Health, and the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services have been working in cooperation to distribute fentanyl test strips. Numerous channels are being utilized, including county health departments, harm reduction organizations, colleges, law enforcement, Project DAWN sites, and local outreach programs, ensuring broad accessibility across the state.
Project DAWN (Deaths Avoided With Naloxone) is a network of opioid overdose education and naloxone distribution programs coordinated by the Ohio Department of Health. By the end of 2023, Project DAWN sites had ordered 795,300 fentanyl test strips.
This landmark distribution of fentanyl test strips aligns with Ohio’s broader initiative that includes providing wide access to the life-saving drug Naloxone. Naloxone, when administered during an opioid overdose (from heroin, fentanyl, or prescription pain medications), blocks the effects of opioids on the brain and quickly restores breathing.
In 2023, Project DAWN distributed 292,419 naloxone units. In addition, the State of Ohio has installed cabinets containing free doses of Naloxone on 48 public and private college and university campuses, and more than 130 cabinets at 65 rest areas across the state.
Ohioans can order free naloxone and fentanyl test strips to be delivered to their homes through the website http://www.naloxone.ohio.gov. For more information on resources related to harm reduction, visit recoveryohio.gov.
Joe Lyons •
March 26, 2024
(CLEVELAND) — Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder has been indicted on multiple state felony charges alleging misuse of campaign money and ethics violations – including one count that would permanently ban him from holding public office again in Ohio, Attorney General Dave Yost announced today.
“This case seeks to hold Mr. Householder accountable for his actions under state law, and I expect that the results will permanently bar him from public service in Ohio,” Yost said. “State crimes have state penalties, and a conviction will ensure that there will be no more comebacks from the ‘Comeback Kid.’”
The state grand jury indictment, filed today in Cuyahoga County, accuses Householder, 64, of 10 felony charges:
One count of theft in office (F1)
Two counts of aggravated theft (F2)
One count of telecommunications fraud (F2)
One count of money laundering (F3)
Five counts of tampering with records (F3)
A conviction for theft in office would forever disqualify the Perry County resident from public office, public employment or a position of trust in the state. Householder was convicted on federal charges last year, but those convictions do not legally prevent him from running again for public office.
The state indictment alleges that Householder misused campaign funds to pay for his personal criminal defense in his federal case. In addition, he allegedly failed to accurately complete Joint Legislative Ethics Committee filings. Specifically, records show that he did not disclose fiduciary relationships, creditors and gifts – including those related to fraudulent activity surrounding House Bill 6, legislation that benefitted FirstEnergy.
Householder was found guilty in March, 2023, for crimes related to House Bill 6 and FirstEnergy and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He is appealing the sentence.
The state charges announced today were filed in Cuyahoga County, where the financial transactions in question allegedly occurred.
The indictment stems from an investigation by a task force organized under the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, part of the Attorney General’s Office. The task force was created at the request of the prosecutor of Summit County, where FirstEnergy is headquartered. By Ohio law, the attorney general’s OOCIC task force cannot initiate an investigation without a request from a prosecutor.
Householder was most recently elected to the Ohio House in 2016 and assumed office in January 2017. He was elected House speaker in 2019, a role he held until his removal from the position in July 2020 after his federal indictment and arrest. Householder remained a state representative until June 16, 2021, when the House expelled him.
Indictments merely contain allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proved guilty in a court of law.
How We Got Here
On Feb. 12, Yost announced that a former PUCO chairman and two former FirstEnergy executives had been indicted on public corruption charges as a result of the OOCIC task force’s investigation. The case against former PUCO Chairman Sam Randazzo; former FirstEnergy CEO Charles “Chuck” Jones; and Michael Dowling, former FirstEnergy senior vice president of external affairs, is ongoing.
The indictments were part of Attorney General’s continuing work to hold those responsible for the House Bill 6 scandal accountable and to save Ohioans significant taxpayer dollars. Through several civil court filings, Yost removed the ill-gotten gains from the corruption legislation, saving the state’s FirstEnergy customers nearly $2 billion over the life of HB6.
Here is a timeline of those efforts:
September 2020: Seeking to reverse the harm caused to Ohio, Yost files a civil lawsuit against former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, FirstEnergy, FirstEnergy subsidiary Energy Harbor, and various accomplices.
November 2020: Yost moved to block HB6’s nuclear bailout, which would have taken $150 million a year from ratepayers to give to Energy Harbor.
December 2020: Yost’s request to prevent the bailout is granted by a judge.
January 2021: Yost files a motion to prevent the “decoupling rider,” which would have cost customers $700 million to $1 billion through 2029.
August 2021: A judge grants Yost’s request to freeze $8 million of Randazzo’s assets after Randazzo began transferring and selling properties. The ruling was later appealed and affirmed.
In August 2021, Yost sues former FirstEnergy CEO Jones and Randazzo, among others, seeking to recover the $4.3 million bribe that FirstEnergy has admitted paying Randazzo.
About OOCIC
The Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, established in 1986 within the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, assists local law enforcement agencies in combatting organized crime and corrupt activities.
“Organized criminal activity” means any combination or conspiracy to engage in activity that constitutes “engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity;” any criminal activity that relates to the corruption of a public official or public servant; or any violation, combination of violations, or conspiracy to commit one or more violations related to drug trafficking, manufacturing and/or possession.
About OOCIC
The Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, established in 1986 within the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, assists local law enforcement agencies in combatting organized crime and corrupt activities.
“Organized criminal activity” means any combination or conspiracy to engage in activity that constitutes “engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity;” any criminal activity that relates to the corruption of a public official or public servant; or any violation, combination of violations, or conspiracy to commit one or more violations related to drug trafficking, manufacturing and/or possession.
Joe Lyons •
March 26, 2024
MADISON COUNTY – Troopers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol filed two felony charges against a 27-year-old woman after she was found to be in possession of cocaine during a traffic stop in Madison County.
Around 1:30 p.m. on March 22, 2024, Troopers stopped a rented box truck, with out of state registration, traveling east on Interstate 70 for executing an unsafe lane change, following too closely to the vehicle ahead of it and for not using headlights while driving in the rain.
While troopers were interacting with the driver, she exhibited a high level of nervous behavior, provided an unusual travel story and they observed possible criminal items in the truck. A drug-sniffing canine also alerted to the vehicle, and during a search, troopers located 110 pounds of cocaine, wrapped in 50 individual packages, worth an estimated $1.75 million.
The suspect, 27-year-old Andrea I. Celaya Rodriguez, of Tucson, Arizona, was taken into custody and is being held at the Franklin County Jail. Celaya was charged with trafficking in drugs and possession of drugs, both of which are first-degree felonies. If convicted, Celaya Rodriguez could face up to 25 years in prison and up to a $50,000 fine.
Joe Lyons •
March 26, 2024
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine applauded a change made today to the state’s administrative rules that require emergency departments to report non-fatal drug overdoses to the Ohio Department of Health (ODH).
The Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) approved the addition of rule 3701-3-16 to the Ohio Administrative Code. The rule will take effect April 8.
“We must continue to work tirelessly to address the overdose crisis, to support those in recovery, and to encourage wellness to prevent addiction in the first place,” said Governor DeWine.
The new rule will give state officials a more accurate and current view of non-fatal overdoses in Ohio. It will enhance ODH’s ability to identify trends, including repeat overdoses, and could allow for faster identification of populations or geographic areas disproportionately affected by non-fatal overdoses.
In addition, this data will be valuable in helping determine strategies and allocation of resources such as referrals to treatment or distribution of naloxone and/or fentanyl test strips to help prevent overdoses, especially in these high-burden populations or areas.
“The purpose of this new rule is to improve the coordination of care for individuals who have previously experienced a drug overdose,” said RecoveryOhio Director Aimee Shadwick. “Studies show an elevated risk of death from overdose in individuals who had recently reported a non-fatal overdose. Adding this new reporting feature will provide healthcare professionals with additional tools available in real time.”
“We believe that having this new data will help us reduce the number of drug overdoses, lessen the burden on families and communities, and most importantly, save lives,” said ODH Director Bruce Vanderhoff, M.D., MBA.
Since taking office, Governor DeWine has placed a significant emphasis on curbing drug overdoses expanding naloxone accessibility by 42% since 2022. This proactive approach has yielded positive results, with the number of unintentional drug overdose fatalities among Ohio residents decreasing by 5% in 2022, totaling 4,915 deaths while nationwide there was a marginal 1% rise in overdose deaths during the same period.
RecoveryOhio provides access to naloxone at no cost. Visit naloxone.ohio.gov to order this lifesaving medicine.
Joe Lyons •
March 26, 2024
The use of drones poses a significant and evolving threat to the safety and security of correctional institutions in the United States. Criminal networks have increasingly turned to drones as a means of smuggling contraband, including drugs, cell phones, and even weapons, into correctional facilities, presenting unprecedented challenges to traditional security measures.
A recent report from www.rand.org highlights the growing concern surrounding the infiltration of correctional facilities by drones. Unlike conventional smuggling methods, drones offer a relatively low-risk and highly efficient means of delivering contraband directly to incarcerated individuals. Their ability to swiftly penetrate correctional airspace, coupled with the difficulty in swiftly detecting and intercepting them, has compounded the problem.
The lack of a standardized definition for “drone incidents” hampers efforts to quantify the scope of the issue, hindering comparisons across facilities and systems. This ambiguity underscores the need for cohesive strategies to address the multifaceted challenges posed by drone activity in correctional settings.
The report emphasizes the urgency of adopting a multifaceted approach to counter the drone threat, combining technological innovations, core correctional practices, and strategic partnerships with law enforcement agencies at the state and federal levels. Key findings from a workshop convened to address this issue include:
The absence of standardized terminology and reporting practices for drone incidents.
The rapid evolution of drone technologies, necessitating ongoing assessment and adaptation of detection solutions.
The cost-prohibitive nature of existing drone detection technologies for many correctional agencies.
The need for collaborative efforts to combat highly coordinated drone activities orchestrated by criminal organizations.
The crucial role of basic correctional strategies and human resources in complementing technological solutions.
To effectively mitigate the risks associated with drone activity in correctional facilities, the report offers a series of recommendations:
Development of standardized reporting protocols and terminology for drone incidents.
Creation of vulnerability assessment tools tailored to correctional settings.
Establishment of a centralized database cataloging available detection solutions.
Provision of guidance and resources to assist agencies in grant writing and funding acquisition.
Implementation of operational evaluations to determine the efficacy of layered security approaches.
Enhancement of intelligence-sharing mechanisms to facilitate interdiction and investigation of drone incidents.
By adopting these recommendations and fostering collaboration among stakeholders, correctional institutions can bolster their defenses against the growing threat posed by drones, safeguarding the integrity of their facilities and the well-being of incarcerated individuals.