On February 18, 2023, Division personnel gathered at Water’s Edge Event Center for the Ashland Police Awards Banquet, the first of what is planned to be an annual event. The ceremony marked the culmination of procedural changes to how the Division will administer awards in the future. In addition to the Division issued awards, State Representative Melanie Miller was present to recognize APD personnel with certificates of commendation from the 67th Ohio House District. During the ceremony, the following employees were recognized for their exemplary service in 2021 and 2022.
At the start of the ceremony, Police Recruits Chelsie Betancourt and Soren Osicka were recognized for the successful completion of the core requirements for the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy at North Central State College.
Service Awards were then issued to personnel who have reached 5-year milestones in their careers, to recognize their continued commitment to the Ashland community.
5 Years of Service
Sergeant Tim Atchison
Officer Adam Brock
Detective Kody Hying
Detective Kara Pearce
Detective Brad Scarl
Officer Alan Swaggard
Officer Adam Wolbert
Officer Leah Zeisler
10 Years of Service
Sergeant Lee Eggeman
Records Specialist Valerie Ortega
15 Years of Service
Detective Sergeant Curt Dorsey
Lieutenant Aaron Kline
Sergeant Brian Kunzen
Officer Abrahm Neumann
Administrative Secretary Angel Roley
20 Years of Service
Captain Craig Kiley
Employee of the year honors were then presented that are peer votes based on conduct, character, congeniality between employees, outstanding performance, and dedication. In addition to the historical awards for Civilian and Officer of the Year, a new category for Supervisor of the Year was created.
Civilian of the Year
2021 – Records Supervisor Kendra Deaton
Kendra has served 22 years with the Division. This was the 7th time she has received this award.
2022 – Administrative Secretary Angel Roley
Angel has served 16 years with the Division. This marks the 4th time she has received this award.
Officer of the Year
2021 – Officer Adam Brock
Adam has served 5 years with the Division.
2022 – Officer Adam Srnis
Adam has served 3 years with the Division.
Supervisor of the Year
2021 & 2022 – Detective Lieutenant John Simmons
John leads the Detective Bureau and is responsible for coordinating investigative follow-up Division wide.
Lastly, the Chief’s Achievement Award was presented. This new award was designed to allow the Office of the Chief to recognize employees for talents that he or she finds important to public safety. Focusing on the qualities of humility, selflessness, dependability, professionalism, commitment to the mission, goals, and vision of the Division while showcasing the potential for greater leadership responsibility, the employees chosen certainly fit the bill as Ashland’s Finest. Chief David Lay selected the following personnel for the honor.
Chief’s Achievement Award
2021 – Officer Jeremy Jarvis
Chief Lay remarked, “Jeremy has served the Ashland community for 15 years and is a graduate of Hillsdale High School. He is currently assigned to Ashland City Schools as their School Resource Officer. He is well respected by the faculty, staff, and students throughout the district. He never shies from his workload and handles nearly every incident within the schools, while often volunteering for after school event security. Jeremy is the definition of humility. He is an everyman with a quiet consistency and demeanor that often goes unnoticed.”
2022 – Officer Tevin McGuire
Chief Lay remarked, “Tevin has only served the community for 2 years, but has shown exceptional motivation and productivity in that short time. He is an Ashland High School graduate and attended North Central State College. Tevin worked at a local convenience store before becoming a police officer. Managers and customers alike have commented about how much they missed speaking with him daily, since he left. Tevin routinely volunteers for community events and many organizers have praised his demeanor. In addition to his duties as a patrol officer, Tevin volunteers his time to the Division’s Reach Out Cops and Kids initiative, and Team Focus. Team Focus is a mentoring program for young men without fathers. Those young men are lucky to have Tevin as a role model. The Ashland Police Division is proud to call him one of our own.”
UPDATED MAP 3/17/2023 – The green areas in the below map are where our family and friends have searched (with permission) for my Dad north and west of Ashland. We have mostly focused on wooded areas where he could have found shelter. We believe an airplane may have covered the red areas. If you have friends or neighbors who own surrounding properties, please ask them to look In outbuildings, wooded areas, and even fields. We need to find him. Continued prayers are appreciated.
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Ashland County Sheriff’s Office, Nankin / Orange Township Fire Department & EMS responded to an early morning crash involving two-vehicle in the 700 block of State Route 58.
Ashland County Democratic Party held their annual Soup and Salad Dinner at the Ashland Kroc Center. Their Guest Speaker the 33rd President of the United States, President Harry S. Truman portrayed by Kenneth Hammontree of Living History Productions.
A little set up about Harry S. Truman
On October 15, 1950, Harry Truman flew to Wake Island for a meeting with his supreme commander in the Pacific. General MacArthur was at the airport,” Truman later complained, “wearing a greasy ham and eggs hat that evidently had been in use for twenty years.” The Wake Island Conference was nonetheless a fairly cordial affair. At that point MacArthur’s successful counteroffensive in Korea made him a hard man to fault, however six weeks later, the picture had changed dramatically. Chinese troops had gone to the aid of North Korea, and MacArthur had vastly underestimated the effect of their intervention. His forces reeled back in retreat, once again abandoning Inchon and the capital city of Seoul to the invaders.
In unauthorized statements to the press, the General began complaining about the constraints preventing him from carrying the war to Chinese soil. MacArthur issued a statement in Tokyo on March 24 that Truman believed undermined his peace initiative. It was an attempt to formulate U.S. policy by going over Truman’s head. MacArthur refused to be muzzled, and on April 11, 1951, Truman relieved MacArthur of his command on the grounds that the General was “unable to give his wholehearted support to the policies of the United States Government. There was an enormous public outcry and much wiping of tears when MacArthur addressed a joint session of Congress on April 19, 1951.
Changing commanders in a middle of a war was bad policy, Truman at first tried to work with MacArthur despite the general’s sometimes poor judgment in matters of strategy; but when MacArthur sent his own message to the Chinese without first notifying the President, making future negotiations between Washington and China impossible, Truman knew that the General had to be fired.
Throughout the Political storm of criticism Truman kept silent. He knew that public opinion is fickle and that the furor would abate. Indeed, perhaps nothing so became Truman in his White House years as his refusal to give in to popular confusions. In the end, the removal of MacArthur in all probability kept the United States out of war with Russia and World War Three.
During the difficult years from 1950 to 1953, he courageously defied the pressures of the hour. His steadiness was perhaps nowhere more sharply outlined than in November and December, 1950 when with the intervention of the Chinese the war took a deadlier turn and at home Truman’s own life was threatened.
Many men have aspired to be President of the United States, but Harry S. Truman was never one of them. The position came to him as an obligation. “If ever there was a man who was forced to be President, I am that man,” he said accepting his social responsibility. Truman who was sometimes outrageous, always full of common sense and uncommon insights was in some historian’s opinion the greatest president we in America had ever experienced. He was an exceptional man with down-home, across-the-back-fence feeling of a born storyteller. “Where the Buck stops” will always be attached to Harry S. Truman.
Montgomery Township – Troopers from the Ashland Highway Patrol Post are investigating a serious injury crash which occurred on IR-71, northbound, near milepost 188 in Ashland County, Ohio.
On Thursday, March 16, 2023 at approximately 1343 hours, a 2004 Volvo semi-truck and trailer were disabled on the right berm of IR-71. A 2019 Ford F-350 commercial service truck was on scene, assisting with repairs for the semi-truck and trailer. The service truck was attempting to block the right lane of IR-71.
The driver of the disabled semi-truck was outside of the vehicle and was attempting to disconnect the truck and trailer. A 2015 Freightliner box truck was driving in the right lane of travel and struck the rear of the service truck, which then struck the driver.
The driver of the Freightliner box truck was treated on scene and the passenger was transported to the Ashland UH Samaritan Medical Center with non-life threatening-injuries.
The driver of the service truck was also transported to the Ashland UH Samaritan Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
The driver of the disabled commercial vehicle was transported to Ohio-Health Mansfield Hospital with serious injuries.
I-71 northbound was closed for approximately 2 hours.
Other agencies assisting at the crash scene were: Ashland City Fire Department and the Ohio Department of Transportation.
Drugs and alcohol are not considered to be factors in the crash. The crash remains under investigation.
Ashland County Sheriff’s Office and Ashland EMS responded to report of an unresponsive man found at a pond on Ashland County Road 1095.
“Reports on Facebook of a old man found in a pond on Co. Rd, 1095 is not the case” said Ashland County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy David Blake, “ it is believed that he had a medical condition and collapsed by the pond, This isn’t related to the missing Ashland man.”
Ashland EMS transported the male to Samaritan Hospital.
On Friday evening of the conference, March 24 at 6:30pm, we are opening the doors for the public to join us for a FREE bluegrass gospel concert, by Williamson Branch, Nashville, TN. Don’t miss it! If you have questions, call our office at (419) 962-1515.
3rd annual “Step Out of the Boat” Conference
Come and hear 20 Former Amish, Mennonite, Hutterite, and Mormon speakers tell their radical stories of stepping out in faith, overcoming immense fear and unbelief, and accomplishing God’s purposes for their lives. Our speakers are traveling from ID, CO, SD, MN, KS, and many eastern and southern states in the US.
This is all happening at the third annual Step Out of the Boat Conference, Bethel Baptist Church in Savannah, Ohio. The dates are March 22-25.
You will be encouraged, inspired, and challenged to move away from your own comfort zone and make a difference in this generation.
Join us for tons of food, fellowship, and board games.
On Friday evening of the conference, March 24 at 6:30pm, we are opening the doors for the public to join us for a FREE bluegrass gospel concert, by Williamson Branch, Nashville, TN. Don’t miss it! If you have questions, call our office at (419) 962-1515.
3rd annual “Step Out of the Boat” Conference
Come and hear 20 Former Amish, Mennonite, Hutterite, and Mormon speakers tell their radical stories of stepping out in faith, overcoming immense fear and unbelief, and accomplishing God’s purposes for their lives. Our speakers are traveling from ID, CO, SD, MN, KS, and many eastern and southern states in the US.
This is all happening at the third annual Step Out of the Boat Conference, Bethel Baptist Church in Savannah, Ohio. The dates are March 22-25.
You will be encouraged, inspired, and challenged to move away from your own comfort zone and make a difference in this generation.
Join us for tons of food, fellowship, and board games.
Ashland Police Division, Ashland Fire Department & EMS responded to a two vehicle crash on Claremont Avenue in front of Miller’s Hawkins Market this evening.
Joe Lyons •
March 17, 2023
