Scammers have recently intensified their efforts in Ashland and Richland Counties, prompting the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office to issue a SCAM ALERT.
Reports have surfaced indicating that individuals are calling residents in the Ashland area, impersonating various members of the Sheriff’s Office. One of the callback numbers provided was 419-558-6546, which is not associated with the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office. The recorded message delivered through this number is not from any legitimate source within the ACSO.
These scammers possess alarming capabilities to gather personal information, enabling them to craft convincing narratives. It’s crucial not to rely solely on caller ID, as it can be easily manipulated. Moreover, scammers may exploit the identities of current or former deputies and officers, making their calls appear genuine. These deceptive tactics aim to unsettle recipients, making them more susceptible to compliance with fraudulent demands.
It is imperative to remain vigilant and remember the following: Phone Scams
Genuine deputies or officers will never threaten immediate arrest unless fines are paid.
Legitimate law enforcement personnel will never request payment via prepaid money cards or gift cards.
Warrants will never be resolved over the phone in exchange for payment.
To safeguard against such scams, refrain from disclosing any personal information to the caller, including financial details. Refuse to comply with their demands and promptly terminate the call.
For comprehensive information on recognizing and combating phone scams, visit the provided link.
Captain Donald Sims of the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office emphasizes the prevalence of scams in the community, resulting in financial losses and emotional distress for citizens. Recognizing the warning signs is crucial; demands for payment in gift cards or immediate transactions should raise suspicion. Legitimate government agencies do not engage in such practices and do not solicit payments over the phone.
Common phone scams to be wary of include spoofing, blackmail, tax scams, false arrest warrants, social security scams, and more. To protect yourself:
Strengthen privacy settings on social media platforms.
Never share sensitive information like debit card PINs.
Avoid carrying your Social Security card.
Exercise caution with peer-to-peer payment apps like CashApp and Venmo.
Trust your instincts; if something feels off, it probably is.
Furthermore, refrain from withdrawing large sums of money without verifying the legitimacy of the request. Face-to-face transactions are advised when in doubt, and individuals are encouraged to visit the Sheriff’s Office or other local authorities for assistance.
The Mansfield Division of Police issued a similar warning, cautioning residents about potential telephone scams involving impersonation of law enforcement officers. Residents have reported receiving calls demanding payment for fines, under threat of arrest. The Mansfield Police Department stresses that they never solicit fine payments via phone calls. Residents are urged to report any suspicious activity to the Division’s non-emergency line and cooperate with ongoing investigations.
Together, let’s remain vigilant and united against scammers, ensuring the safety and security of our communities.
“Oh, how I longed to introduce Joseph to my friend John,” I reminisce. With John residing in a pet-friendly apartment, the opportunity for a puppy rendezvous presented itself, and off we ventured. Joseph, intuitively sensing his new companion, wasted no time in making himself at home. He gracefully maneuvered onto John’s substantial wheelchair, showered him with affectionate licks, and nestled snugly into his lap for a serene morning nap.
Our adventures didn’t end there. Eager to spread joy beyond our circle, we decided to pay a visit to a local nursing home. Maneuvering through the labyrinthine hallways, replete with wheelchairs and stretchers bearing the weight of elderly and infirm residents, felt like navigating a challenging obstacle course. Adjusting Joseph’s leash, we commenced our journey down the corridor. Suddenly, a clamor erupted, “A dog! A dog!” In an instant, we found ourselves encircled by wheelchair-bound patients, each eager to make the acquaintance of Joseph.
Squatting down, I enveloped Joseph in a protective embrace. He leaned into me reassuringly as a young man, his eyes gleaming with excitement, hastened toward us. With an awkward yet endearing gesture, he extended his hand to tenderly pat Joseph, erupting into fits of joyous laughter. Soon after, an elderly lady approached, her eyes brimming with nostalgia. “May I pet him too?” she inquired softly. Joseph, ever the gentle soul, obliged, eliciting fond memories from the lady. “He’s so soft,” she mused, “I once had a dog named Joy.”
As Joseph continued his rounds, more residents joined in, each sharing their own tales and laughter. With each interaction, Joseph’s demeanor seemed to elevate, his spirits soaring as he pranced about, his head held high, basking in the adoration he received.
Upon our departure, a profound sense of contentment enveloped us. I made a silent vow to return and witness those radiant smiles more often, reflecting on the invaluable lesson my furry companion had imparted. Back home, Joseph retreated to his bed, his weary yet satisfied frame a testament to the joy he had spread. What a remarkable companion he was! I couldn’t help but wonder who we would encounter on our next excursion.
The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force is offering a reward for information which would lead to the capture of fugitive Terrence Ison. Ison is wanted U.S. Marshals Service and the Adult Parole Authority on a parole violation on the original charge of aggravated burglary and weapons under disability. Ison 40, is described as a black male with black hair and blue eyes, standing 5 feet 11 inches tall. Ison has ties to the city of Mansfield.
Terrence Ison
The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force is offering a reward for information which would lead to the capture of fugitive Devin Cramer. Cramer is wanted U.S. Marshals Service and the Adult Parole Authority on a parole violation on the original charge of aggravated burglary with firearm spec. Cramer, 27, is described as a white male with black hair and brown eyes, standing 5 feet 10 inches tall. Cramer has ties to the city of Mansfield.
Devin Cramer
The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force is offering a reward for information which would lead to the capture of fugitive Seth Hinton. Hinton is wanted U.S. Marshals Service and the Richland County Sheriff’s Office for illegal conveyance of drugs. Hinton, 24, is described as a white male with blond hair and blue eyes, standing 5 feet 10 inches tall. Hively has ties to the cities of Mansfield, Ashland, and Columbus.
Seth Hinton
The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force is offering a reward for information which would lead to the capture of fugitive Quinness Howell. Howell is wanted U.S. Marshals Service and the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office for trafficking in drugs. Howell, 19, is described as a black male with black hair and brown eyes, standing 5 feet, 8 inches tall. Howell has ties to the city of Mansfield.
Quinness Howell
If you have any information in reference to Terrence Ison, Devin Cramer, Seth Hinton, or Quiness Howell, please contact the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 1-866-4WANTED or Text keyword WANTED and tip to 847411 (tip411). Tipsters can remain anonymous and reward money is available.
On Sunday, February 25th, 2024, the Shelby Police Department received a report of a fight with possible shots fired in the area of 35 Walnut Street.
Officers were advised that there was possibly one victim and that the suspect had fled the area.
After receiving treatment at OhioHealth Shelby, the victim was released.
The victim also indicated that the he had been in a fight with the suspect and that the suspect fired a shot at him with a handgun. The suspect was located and surrendered without incident.
After consultation with the Richland County Prosecutor’s Office, the suspect was charged with Felonious Assault and subsequently incarcerated in the Richland County Jail.
No one was struck or injured as a result of the suspect’s discharge of the firearm.
The suspect has been identified as Darrell Hall age 62, of Shelby. He is incarcerated pending appearance in Shelby Municipal Court
Ashland Police Division Officers along with Ashland Fire Department & EMS responded to a car versus motorcycle on Cleveland Avenue and Sherman Avenue around 5:30pm this evening.
When those Girl Scout “Sweet Cookie Dealers” come around, beware, my friend! These little merchants of temptation don’t play fair.
They operate in packs, making it nearly impossible to resist their sugary charms. One minute you’re innocently minding your own business, the next you’re walking away with more cookie packs than you can count.
Before you know it, you’re craving Thin Mints like there’s no tomorrow. Just when you manage to break free from their grasp, they reel you back in with promises of more deliciousness.
The struggle is real – to savor each cookie slowly or succumb to the temptation of devouring them all in one sitting.
And just when you thought you had a chance to stick to your fitness goals, these sneaky dealers show up at your doorstep with their irresistible treats.
Making New Year’s resolutions an epic failure, those cunning cookie pushers know exactly when to strike.
So go ahead, give in to the craving, buy all the mint cookies – after all, life is too short to say no to such sweet indulgence!
Tomorrow they will be dealing outside the Fin Feather Fur Outfitters from 12:30 to 2:30. and for buying 5 boxes you can win cases.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who participated in the searches for our husband, dad, and grandfather. We appreciate the love, support and prayers from our family, friends, and community members. We know the massive undertaking that was involved. We never stopped looking.
A special thanks to the Ashland Police Division, especially to Chief Lay and Detective Pearce, who went above and beyond dealing with many issues, while being thoughtful and comforting to the family.
Thank you to all our friends, coworkers, relatives, and Ashland neighbors who selflessly pitched in, including the many driving from areas including Cleveland, Columbus, and Pennsylvania. We encountered many people who shared access to land, prayers, tears, meals, support and advice.
We witnessed individuals and families who did not know us searching on their own. A special thanks to Jared, Remi, and Ichabod for their extra efforts. And, we extend a sincere thank you to the man that found him and called 911.
The outcome is difficult for us all. We love and miss Tim and have mourned him over the past year.
We would like to take the time to share who he was and what he meant to us. Tim was a loyal and faithful man. His family was the most important thing to him. He was married 53 years and had three children and eight grandchildren whom he loved and was a huge part of their lives.
He was a Hall of Fame baseball player at Grace College. He passed on his love of sports to his children. He coached basketball and baseball and would draft any neighborhood kid available to his teams, because of how much he cared for each of them. Everyone got playing time every game. He taught Sunday school at Woodville Grace and started a Wednesday program at Ashland Grace. He mentored inmates as part of prison ministries for years.
As a grandfather, he went to all of his grandchildren’s sporting and musical events, sometimes driving five hours in a day to be there in the stands to show his love and support. They love him dearly. Each of them pitched in to search and to support however they could. He has four grandchildren in college and one that graduated recently. He never failed to speak of his pride for them.
Tim was the hardest working person anyone knew. He was employed by Ohio Edison for 49 years where he would sometimes work 10 hour days including the day he went missing. Many of those years involved walking up to 15 miles a day serving his customers. He was never late a day in his life and was looking forward to retiring when he reached 50 years of service.
He was a supportive brother, uncle and son. He cared for his aging father and had daily contact with his sister. He deeply loved all of his nieces and nephews, who also helped in the search. They too are missing his presence.
We now ask that you give us time and space to continue the grieving process. We plan to have a private memorial service sometime in the near future. Please continue your prayers for our family and friends.
We have felt the comfort of so many prayers all along and they have brought us peace to accept that God’s plans are often outside the scope of what we can understand.
Keith Porch began his career with the Division in 1999 as a Patrol Officer in the Community Service Bureau. In April of 2007, he became a Detective with METRICH/S.I.U. Promoted to Sergeant in 2009, he returned to the Community Service Bureau until October of 2012. He was reassigned to METRICH/S.I.U. until May of 2013 when he was promoted to Lieutenant. He served as the METRICH Commander until March of 2014.
MPD Chief Keith Porch
Porch was promoted to Assistant Chief of Police in March of 2014 where he gained a broad understanding of many aspects of how our Police Department functions both administratively and operationally. On April 9, 2019 Assistant Chief of Police Keith Porch was offered and accepted the position of Chief of Police. Chief Keith Porch took the official Oath of Office on April 10, 2019. He replaced Chief Kenneth Coontz who officially retired on April 5, 2019.
As Chief of Police, Porch served as the Project Director for the METRICH Enforcement Unit and Chairman to the Richland County Opiate Board, along with providing leadership through the re-accreditation process from the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies. Chief Porch was able to advance the Division in many areas of technology to assist officers and non-sworn staff with their duties and training.
Prior to joining the Mansfield Division of Police, Chief Porch served the residents of Richland County as a Richland County Sheriff Deputy for five years.
On February 27, 2024 Chief Keith Porch will retire from his duties with the Mansfield Division of Police to assume the duties of the Safety Service Director for the City of Mansfield on February 28, 2024. He has our congratulations upon his retirement and our heartfelt thanks for his many years of loyal service. We wish him good luck and the greatest success in his new position.
Ashland County Sheriff’s Office Detective Brandon Banks was sentenced to 90 days in jail, but the jail time was suspended, and he was given probation for one year. Along with probation. Detective Banks was ordered to pay a $250 fine and complete 40 hours of community service work. This sentence was handed down by the Ashland Municipal Court, before Magistrate Fred Oxley, following Detective Banks’ No Contest plea to assault charge.
During his sentencing hearing, Detective Banks stated, “This has been an absolute nightmare for the entire family. This situation has affected everyone in my family negatively and has added unnecessary stress to my family as well.”
Detective Banks accepted full responsibility for his actions, offering a heartfelt apology to his family. Sitting beside his attorney, Jim Mayer III, Detective Banks expressed deep remorse for his actions, stating, “I take full responsibility for my inexcusable behavior that put my family in this position.”
Banks admitted, “The word ‘sorry’ does not begin to describe how I feel toward my wife and my children for what I did and the position I put them in.” Detective Banks took proactive steps to address his issues by enrolling himself in therapy. He emphasized, “I have been attending and successfully completing every therapy session that I have been to. Therapy taught me how to cope with my depression, anger, and substance abuse.”
Banks acknowledged the detrimental effects of substance abuse and expressed his commitment to maintaining sobriety. He highlighted the importance of therapy in his recovery process and stated his intention to continue therapy in the future. Banks affirmed, “I plan on continuing therapy into the future, and if given an opportunity with probation, I will most certainly comply with probation without any issues.”
In response to Detective Banks’ statements, Magistrate Fred Oxley acknowledged Detective Banks’ acceptance of responsibility and his immediate steps to address his issues. He also took into consideration the wishes of Mrs. Banks, who expressed her desire for the marriage to continue. The court agreed that the incident involving Brandon Banks was a minor one. While the court did not downplay the seriousness of the offense, they recognized that many similar situations could escalate into more severe issues.
Magistrate Oxley emphasized the importance of continuing therapy as part of Detective Banks probation.
Magistrate Oxley stated, “You are not getting any special treatment. This is a fair sentence based on the nature of the incident, your commitment to counseling, and the absence of prior offenses. We see many cases escalate from minor incidents to significant ones, but we believe this sentence is appropriate given the circumstances.”
Magistrate Fred Oxley sentenced Detective Brandon Banks to 90 days in jail. However, recognizing Detective Banks’ remorse and acceptance of responsibility, the court decided to suspend the jail time giving probation for one year. Along with probation, Detective Banks was ordered to pay a $250 fine and complete 40 hours of community service work by July 1.
The Mansfield Division of Police is asking for the community’s assistance in locating the below missing person. Mariah D. McPherson is a 25-year-old female who is 5 foot, 4 inches tall, weighs 96 lbs and has brown hair and Brown eyes.
Mariah was reported missing on December 29, 2023. Her last known address was 1170 Harwood Dr. Apt. F, Mansfield Ohio. Detectives are requesting the communities help in locating or making contact with her.
Mariah D. McPherson
If you have any information on Ms. Mcphersons whereabouts or can provide any information to assist detectives in locating her, please call the Mansfield Division of Police at 419-522-1234.
Joe Lyons •
March 1, 2024
Scammers have recently intensified their efforts in Ashland and Richland Counties, prompting the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office to issue a SCAM ALERT.
The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force is offering a reward for information which would lead to the capture of fugitive Seth Hinton. Hinton is wanted U.S. Marshals Service and the Richland County Sheriff’s Office for illegal conveyance of drugs. Hinton, 24, is described as a white male with blond hair and blue eyes, standing 5 feet 10 inches tall. Hively has ties to the cities of Mansfield, Ashland, and Columbus.
On Sunday, February 25th, 2024, the Shelby Police Department received a report of a fight with possible shots fired in the area of 35 Walnut Street.
When those Girl Scout “Sweet Cookie Dealers” come around, beware, my friend! These little merchants of temptation don’t play fair.
The struggle is real – to savor each cookie slowly or succumb to the temptation of devouring them all in one sitting.
Tomorrow they will be dealing outside the Fin Feather Fur Outfitters from 12:30 to 2:30. and for buying 5 boxes you can win cases.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who participated in the searches for our husband, dad, and grandfather. We appreciate the love, support and prayers from our family, friends, and community members. We know the massive undertaking that was involved. We never stopped looking.
Keith Porch began his career with the Division in 1999 as a Patrol Officer in the Community Service Bureau. In April of 2007, he became a Detective with METRICH/S.I.U. Promoted to Sergeant in 2009, he returned to the Community Service Bureau until October of 2012. He was reassigned to METRICH/S.I.U. until May of 2013 when he was promoted to Lieutenant. He served as the METRICH Commander until March of 2014.
The Mansfield Division of Police is asking for the community’s assistance in locating the below missing person. Mariah D. McPherson is a 25-year-old female who is 5 foot, 4 inches tall, weighs 96 lbs and has brown hair and Brown eyes.