COLUMBUS – On Thursday, July 13, troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol joined our law enforcement partners across the country as part of the ongoing “Highway 20 Speed Enforcement Project.”
The “Highway 20 Speed Enforcement Project,” started by the Iowa State Patrol, has grown into a nationwide effort among state police, state highway patrol and local police agencies to promote traffic safety and reduce crashes across the 12 states that U.S. 20 runs through.
U.S. 20 spans nearly the length of the country from west to east, running from Newport, Ore. to Boston. In 1989, U.S. 20 was determined to be 3,365 miles long, making it the longest highway in the country, and as of 2020 various projects have slightly shortened its length.
The “Highway 20 Speed Enforcement Project” is a bimonthly collaborative effort, taking place on a select day with a two-hour initiative in the morning and a two-hour initiative in the evening. During this past Thursday’s initiative, 93 officers across the country made 691 contacts with the motoring public. Of those, 389 resulted in citations, 295 warnings were given and seven motorists were assisted. “The goal of the project is simple,” said Sergeant Ryan E. Purpura, spokesperson for the Patrol. “Our troopers and law enforcement partners from across the country want to make U.S. 20 as safe as possible for those traveling on it by reducing speed-related crashes. Driving over the posted limit is a choice, a choice that could cost your life or the life of someone else.”
Specifically, in Ohio, U.S. 20 covers 259 miles, crossing through the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Findlay, Bucyrus, Cleveland and Warren districts. Over the course of the project in 2023, 117 troopers from nine posts issued 290 citations, 181 warnings and assisted 29 motorists, furthering the spirit of the overall project not only in Ohio, but across the entire length of U.S. 20.
The public is encouraged to call #677 in Ohio or 911 to report drug activity, and dangerous or impaired drivers.
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Oregon State Police – Idaho State Police – Montana Highway Patrol – Wyoming Highway Patrol
Nebraska State Patrol – Iowa State Patrol – Illinois State Police – Indiana State Police
Ohio State Highway Patrol – Pennsylvania State Police -New York State Police – Massachusetts State Police
COLUMBUS – The Ohio State Highway Patrol has entered the 10th annual “Best
Looking Cruiser” contest sponsored by the American Association of State Troopers (AAST). Voting for the best-looking cruiser began today, July 17 at 10 a.m. and will end on July 31 at 12 p.m. Visit the Patrol’s Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages and click the link in any of our contest posts or visit the SurveyMonkey website to vote the Ohio State Highway Patrol as having the best-looking cruiser.
When visiting the SurveyMonkey website, scroll to the bottom of the page and select Ohio from the drop-down menu. Agency rankings will be updated on the AAST’s websitethroughout the contest.
Last year, Ohio finished in thirteenth place. Please help vote for the Ohio State Highway Patrol as the 2023 best-looking cruiser. The top 13 photos receiving the highest number of votes will be featured in the 2024 AAST wall calendar and the photo that gets the highest number of votes will be featured on the cover.
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced today that his Human Trafficking Commission has launched a directory of Ohio-based services and resources for victims of human trafficking.
“Those who are getting out of ‘the life’ are already facing considerable obstacles in their healing journeys,” Yost said. “We want to do what we can to expedite their connection with the services they need and to ensure that the service agencies are vetted. This directory both streamlines the search process for survivors and leads them to reputable help.”
The Human Trafficking Victim Services Directory is a searchable database of agencies and programs offering emergency, transitional, residential and other services to victims and survivors. It can be searched by county, or by using the categories of service as keywords:
24 Hour Response Line
Emergency Response
Case Management Victim Advocacy
Trauma Specific Therapy
Residential Programs for Adults
Residential Programs for Youth
Substance Use Treatment
Drop-In Center
Survivor Peer Support
Shelter and Short-Term Housing for Adults
Temporary Emergency Housing in Non-Shelter Setting
Agencies that appear in the database have submitted a rigorous self-assessment to the AG’s Human Trafficking Commission. The commission’s Victim Services Committee, in turn, has determined that these agencies’ programs and services meet the Ohio’s Standards of Service for Trafficked Persons, which outlines expectations in 14 unique categories, from ethics to emergency response.
“This project is the result of a collaborative statewide effort to expand the number of programs that meet Ohio’s human trafficking service standards and to increase access to quality services for human trafficking survivors,” said Michelle Hannan, anti-human trafficking director for the Salvation Army who, as co-chair of the Victim Services Subcommittee of AG Yost’s Human Trafficking Commission, helped establish the statewide standards and develop the directory.
“We are pleased to see it come to fruition, knowing the agencies listed are committed to serving through best practices.”
With time, Attorney General Yost noted, the directory will grow only richer and more valuable to survivors.
“As word spreads about the standards process involved, more and more high-quality service providers will want to be a part of it – which should give trafficking survivors and their loved ones comfort,” Yost said. “It’s a win for all involved.”
Agencies that want to appear in the directory are encouraged to read the Standards of Service booklet, then complete and submit the assessment. Organizations with additional questions may contact Yost’s Human Trafficking Initiative at HTI@OhioAGO.gov.
Sandusky — The Sandusky Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating a three vehicle crash that occurred in the westbound lanes of State Route 2, near mile post 19, in Huron Township. The crash occurred today, July 7, 2023, at approximately 12:04 p.m.
A white 2022 Chevrolet Traverse (Unit #2), driven by Virginia L. Doyle, age 74, of Huron, OH, was driving in the right-hand lane behind slow traffic.
Unit #2 was driving behind a white 2021 Ford F 350 with a trailer.
(Unit #3), driven by Jordan E. Saran, age 45, of Willowick, OH. Both vehicles were westbound in the right-hand lane and were stuck behind a slow-moving vehicle.
A blue 2020 Kenworth tractor/trailer (Unit #1 ) was being driven by Brian L. Johnson, age 51, of Hudsonville, MI. Unit #1 struck Unit #2 in the rear, pushing Unit #2 into the trailer of Unit #3.
Mrs. Doyle sustained fatal injuries as a result of the collision. Mr. Johnson and Mr. Saran were not injured and were able to drive their vehicles from the scene. The Ohio State Highway Patrol was assisted on scene by the Erie County Sheriff’s Department, Huron Township Fire & EMS, Erie County ODOT, Maags Towing, and Luckey Towing.
Alcohol and/or drug impairment do not appear to be factors of this crash. The crash remains under investigation at this time.
Governor DeWine Signs FY ’24-’25 Budget with Historic Investments in Ohio’s Workforce, Children, and Communities
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)— Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has signed Ohio’s Fiscal Year 2024-2025 operating budget bill into law.
House Bill 33 supports the priorities of the DeWine-Husted Administration by taking advantage of Ohio’s Time in history to make strategic investments in our thriving economy, communities, and families in a manner that positions Ohio for continued success in the future.
The budget focuses on providing new opportunities for jobs and economic development, helping Ohio’s children get a better start in life through education initiatives and unprecedented support for mothers and children, a historic investment in mental health services and infrastructure, and significant incentives and policies to improve the quality of nursing home care.
“I am proud to sign this budget, and while it makes historic investments in Ohioans across their lives, I believe we are doing more to support and encourage Ohio’s children to lead happy, healthy, and productive lives than ever before,” said Governor DeWine. “Whether it is helping them get the healthiest start in life by providing top-notch health care for moms; to expanding access to quality early childhood education; to ensuring their teachers have the resources and skills needed to teach students how to read in the way their brains learn to read; to providing prevention and early intervention tools for those struggling with mental and behavioral health issues; to expanding access and opportunity for all types of training, certifications, and degrees after high school graduation, and continued career development; through ensuring Ohioans have a high quality of life and the highest quality of care as they age, this budget helps make Ohio the heart of opportunity for everyone.”
“This budget is balanced, it provides tax cuts to working families, and it invests in economic and workforce development while promoting educational freedom with the expansion of the EdChoice Scholarship,” said Lt. Governor Jon Husted. “It was also great to see our efforts to require parental notification for social media included, along with much of our work to eliminate unnecessary and outdated regulations through CSI’s Innovate the Code initiative.”
Governor DeWine issued 44 line-item vetoes to House Bill 33.
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)— Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted announced today that Amazon Web Services (AWS) will invest an estimated $7.8 billion by the end of 2029 to expand its data center operations in Central Ohio, creating hundreds of new jobs.
AWS’s data center project represents the second-largest single private sector company investment in Ohio’s history. The new data centers will contain computer servers, data storage drives, networking equipment, and other forms of technology infrastructure used to power cloud computing.
Numerous localities in Central Ohio are under consideration for the new data center campuses, and final site selections will be decided at a later date.
“Amazon is already one of the largest private-sector employers in Ohio, and the company’s continued growth here further cements Ohio as the heart of our nation’s technology and innovation,” said Governor DeWine. “As more of the world relies on cloud computing, this investment will build on Amazon’s current infrastructure in Ohio to help new and existing businesses grow, allow residents to securely connect to friends and family, and provide access to online educational resources and entertainment.”
“This positions Ohio as a critical location for the most discussed technology in the world, artificial intelligence,” said Lt. Governor Jon Husted. “This enormous capital investment further solidifies Ohio as the tech center of the Midwest and positions us for a bright future as cloud computing and artificial intelligence are more integrated into the economy and our everyday lives.”
AWS launched its first data centers in the Midwest in 2016 and currently operates data center campuses in Franklin and Licking counties. To date, AWS’s investments and operations have generated over $2 billion in economic benefit for Ohio, and supported more than 3,000 local secondary jobs on an average annual basis. In 2022, AWS directly employed nearly 1,000 Ohioans across the state.
“Today, we are proud to reinforce our long-term commitment to the State of Ohio with plans to expand and invest an estimated $7.8 billion by 2030,” said Roger Wehner, Director of Economic Development, AWS. “Since 2015, AWS has invested more than $6 billion in Ohio while supporting thousands of local jobs. This additional investment will bring new, well-paying jobs and will continue to boost the state’s Gross Domestic Product each year. We are excited to continue our partnership with the state of Ohio, and deliver new workforce development and educational programs that support the next generation of talent by emphasizing collaborative, long-term public and private partnerships across the state.”
“Ohio has a strong future in the technology sector and the more we’re able to help companies that are already here expand their investments only strengthens the state’s position,” said Lydia Mihalik, Director of the Ohio Department of Development. “AWS’s expanding presence in Ohio is a big win for workers looking for in-demand jobs, the construction industry, businesses who need the computer infrastructure to grow their operations, and consumers who rely on the Internet for so many things in their day-to-day lives.”
JobsOhio, One Columbus, and multiple county and local economic development teams are collaborating with AWS to support the expansion.
“AWS was the first-mover in Ohio among the major technology companies and their success has helped pave the way for the explosive growth we’re seeing now,” said JP Nauseef, President and CEO of JobsOhio. “Their newest investment creates 230 direct new jobs and an estimated 1,000 support jobs, and we look forward to building our partnership with AWS as Ohio continues to make its mark in this important sector.”
Two arrested in connection to May 13 Marion County hit-skip fatal crash
MARION – Since May 13, troopers from the Marion Post and the Bucyrus District Office of Investigative Services continued to investigate and follow up on leads to locate the vehicle and driver from the hit-skip fatal crash that occurred on state Route 95 in Marion County. To further the investigation, the Ohio State Highway Patrol sought the public’s assistance on June 2 for any information regarding the crash. As a result, numerous tips were received and those tips were followed up on by investigators.
Yesterday, troopers from the Bucyrus District Office of Investigative Services executed a search warrant at a residence in LaRue, where the BMW X5 was located in the garage and it was determined to be the hit-skip vehicle involved in the fatal crash. A short time later, the driver, Evan Trigg, 43, was arrested by troopers from the Patrol’s Special Response Team. Later in the evening, Trigg’s wife, Carrie Jervis, 36, turned herself in to troopers at the Marion Post, where she was arrested.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol wants to thank the public for their assistance, which moved the investigation forward and ultimately led to the arrest of Trigg and Jervis. Both were charged with tampering with evidence, a felony, and incarcerated at the Multi-County Correctional Center in Marion, and both could face additional charges.
Editor’s note: Below is the media release that was released by the Patrol on June 2.
*UPDATE* Marion Troopers Investigating a Serious Injury Crash
Troopers from the Marion Post and the Bucyrus District Office of Investigative Services are seeking the public’s assistance in locating the vehicle and driver from the hit-skip crash that occurred on state Route 95 in Marion County on May 13. As a result of the crash, John Arthur II succumbed to his injuries on May 19. The BMW, possibly a 2006-2013 X5 did not stop after the crash. The hit-skip driver is a white male, believed to be in his late 30’s or early 40’s with a reddish beard. Anyone with information regarding this crash, the location of the hit-skip vehicle, or the identity of the driver is asked to call the Marion Post at (740) 383-2181.
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — With Taylor Swift coming to Cincinnati at the end of June, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is reminding Swifties that scammers are looking to take advantage of fans.
“The nosebleed seats are over a thousand bucks, so be mindful when buying resale tickets,” Yost said. “If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.”
Concertgoers are also encouraged to take a beat to review these tips:
Be skeptical of offers that are too good to be true. Sellers, especially on online marketplaces, may offer tickets at face value (or below) for events that are sold out or in high demand, but these offers may be scams. Some sellers may say they need to sell tickets quickly, falsely claiming, for example, that they have a medical emergency or an overseas military assignment.
Use reputable third-party resale sites. To protect yourself, deal with reputable businesses instead of individuals who are not associated with an event. Beware of websites that mimic popular ticket seller’s logos or the tour logos.
Before providing any payment or personal information, do a soundcheck. Research a seller’s reputation. Search the seller’s name, username, email address, phone number and other details for information. Even if you find no negative information, don’t assume that the seller is trustworthy. Some con artists change names regularly.
Be wary of sellers who change their tune on specific forms of payment. Con artists often request payment methods that are difficult to trace or recover, such as gift cards, crypto, cash or wire transfer. If you’re using a mobile wallet or a peer-to-peer payment service such as Venmo or Zelle, be sure you understand the protections the service provides (or doesn’t) before making a transaction.
Consider paying with a credit card. With a credit card, if a problem arises, you generally have greater protection and the ability to dispute charges, unlike some other payment methods.
Consumers who believe they have been defrauded should immediately report the details to the company they used to make the payment.
Ohioans can report scams to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office at www.OhioProtects.org or by calling 800-282-0515.
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) –Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted, in partnership with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources – Division of Wildlife and the InnovateOhio Platform, today announced the launch of four new fishing tools on the DataOhio Portal.
At today’s “Where to Fish on Ohio’s Free Fishing Days” media event, Lt. Governor Husted shared that Ohioans can now access the Where to Fish, Sport Fish Report, Angler Survey and Waterbody Report tools. These resources include interactive maps, graphs, and table surveys that allow users to customize their search based on criteria most important to them. The announcement of these new tools comes just before this year’s Ohio Free Fishing Days. On June 17 and 18, 2023, all Ohio residents can fish for free in public waters. A fishing license is not required; however, fish size and limits will still apply.
“The best places to fish are usually kept secret, but not in Ohio,” said Lt. Governor Husted. “Now anglers can find out where the fish are through the DataOhio Portal that provides data-driven guidance on the best fishing opportunities across the state. This tool is designed to take you where the fishing is the best, but figuring out how to catch them is still on you.”
The Where to Fish tool equips anglers with a guide on where they are most likely to find the best fishing opportunity based on their interests and criteria. Users can enter the radius in which they are willing to travel, their sport fish species of interest, and their preference of population abundance or size of fish. The tool will filter the user’s selection to identify waterbodies nearby that match their preferences.
The Sport Fish Report tool displays relative abundances (catch per effort) based on a user’s selections of species of interest. Users can identify differences in abundance based on their elections of sport fish species, and whether they search statewide or by a specific location in Ohio.
The Angler Survey tool combines the outcomes of angler surveys for a waterbody and year of interest. Users interested in where anglers go most often to catch fish and how many are caught per hour can use this tool. Each summarized fish species, time spent fishing, the percentage of anglers who fished for that species, and their catch rates are displayed.
If a user is interested in identifying the sport fish in their favorite reservoir, stream, or pool of the Ohio River, they can use the Waterbody Report to select their favorite location and see changes in the sport fish abundance, size, and structure throughout time. In addition, they can view the average length-based growth data by species based on location and year or years of interest.
“We strive to provide the best and latest information to anglers before, during, and after they go fishing,” said Division of Wildlife Chief Kendra Wecker. “Ohio has a multitude of locations that are waiting for exploration. These online tools help get anglers to those areas.”
These tools join ODNR’s Ohio Fish Stocking Records, the most popular dashboard on the DataOhio portal with over 63,000 views. Announced by Lt. Governor Husted in 2021, the “Ohio Fish Stocking Records” contains records of fish stocked by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources dating back to 1970. Users can access these records and the new fishing tools by using the keyword “Fish” to search the Data Catalog. The four new dashboards may also be found on the DataOhio Portal’s homepage under “Featured Datasets.”
The full Ohio Division of Wildlife fishing regulations guide is available at ohiodnr.gov.
The vision of the DataOhio Portal is to be the centralized location for State of Ohio data for agencies, their partners, and citizens, helping to inform programming and policy by combining data from across state government. The portal currently features over 300 datasets, dashboards, and visualizations, and recently celebrated a data milestone of over a quarter million dataset downloads.
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and 41 of his counterparts today announced a $102.5 million multistate settlement with the maker of Suboxone – Indivior Inc. – for violations of state and federal antitrust laws.
Ohio will receive about $5.9 million.
“My office has the pharmaceutical industry under a microscope,” Yost said. “From drug manufacturers to PBMs to distributors – we’re keeping a close eye on everyone involved.”
Suboxone, a prescription drug that originated as a tablet, is used to treat opioid addiction by easing cravings for opioids. It was introduced in 2002 by Indivior, formally known as Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals, and patent-protected for seven years (2002 to 2009).
The coalition of attorneys general sued the company accusing Indivior of having schemed to block generic competitors from the market after the patented-protected period, thus artificially elevating the drug’s costs to consumers.
The lawsuit says Indivior engaged in illegal “product hopping,” meaning it made modest changes to its product in order to extend the patent protections so other companies couldn’t offer cheaper generic alternatives.
The company transitioned Suboxone from a tablet to a film (which dissolves in the mouth), and then actively attempted to destroy the market for tablets through marketing and price adjustments, the lawsuit maintains. These kinds of tactics allowed for Indivior to extend the patent protections, and the company eventually stopped selling tablets, forcing consumers to buy the more expensive film form of the drug.
The suit cites violations of the Sherman Act and Ohio’s Valentine Act, saying that Indivior engaged in anti-competitive activities designed to impede competition from generic equivalents of Suboxone.
The settlement agreement, filed in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, requires Indivior to pay the states $102.5 million. The case had been scheduled to go to trial in September 2023.
Also under the agreement, Indivior must disclose to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and to the attorneys general any:
Citizen petition that it files.
Product modifications.
Change in corporate control.
These conditions are designed to keep the attorneys general apprised of the company’s activities and to ensure that Indivior refrains from engaging in conduct similar to the allegations in the lawsuit.
The multistate case was led by Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul. Joining Yost and Kaul in the suit were the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.
Joe Lyons •
July 17, 2023
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced today that his Human Trafficking Commission has launched a directory of Ohio-based services and resources for victims of human trafficking.
Sandusky — The Sandusky Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating a three vehicle crash that occurred in the westbound lanes of State Route 2, near mile post 19, in Huron Township. The crash occurred today, July 7, 2023, at approximately 12:04 p.m.
Governor DeWine Signs FY ’24-’25 Budget with Historic Investments in Ohio’s Workforce, Children, and Communities
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — With Taylor Swift coming to Cincinnati at the end of June, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is reminding Swifties that scammers are looking to take advantage of fans.
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) –Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted, in partnership with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources – Division of Wildlife and the InnovateOhio Platform, today announced the launch of four new fishing tools on the DataOhio Portal.