Did he spray toes at library?

Um, the picture is good enough
Did he spray toes at library?

BY JENNIFER BAKER AND LORI KURTZMAN
The Enquirer, May 29, 2008

A Columbus man has been charged with crawling under a table at a library on University of Cincinnati’s campus, spraying a substance from a syringe on a woman’s shoes and then photographing them.

Dwight Pannell, 43, was booked into the county jail about midnight on charges of voyeurism, assault and criminal trespass, court records show.

In court this afternoon, Pannell was silent and kept his back mostly turned to reporters. His lawyer argued that Pannell’s alleged actions didn’t seem to warrant the charges against him.

Pannell is accused of sprinkling water on a woman’s foot, Pannell’s attorney said, and “how that can be an assault, I don’t know.”

Municipal Court Judge Dwane Mallory set Pannell’s bond at $75,000.

“There’s really no way to explain people’s fetishes,” said University of Cincinnati Police Capt. Karen Patterson this morning. “I’ve been in police work 24 years and I can’t explain it. I don’t know. It would take a psychologist or psychiatrist to explain it.”

The woman, a UC student, told police she was in the Langsam Library on Woodside Drive about 9 p.m. Wednesday when she spotted a suspicious-looking man walking around, records state.

Then, she heard a noise coming from under her table and felt something cold on her feet.

“When I looked down, the person was on his knee with the syringe,” she wrote in an affidavit filed with the court.

She immediately knew the man under her table was responsible for putting some sort of watery substance on her shoes, she wrote.

She ran for help to the person next to her, and he told her to go downstairs and tell security.

“Apparently, she did right thing,” Patterson said of the woman. “As soon as she felt something, she got up and ran away and contacted the police so we were able to catch him. It doesn’t appear there was any other victim.”

UC police arrested Pannell at the library and seized his camera, Patterson said.

He told police he was visiting the library and trying out his new camera. Police found images of the woman’s feet on it.

“He admitted taking pictures of her feet,” Patterson said. “He said he was doing so because it was a new camera.”

They also confiscated the syringe and plan to have its contents tested.

The UC incident was not Pannell's first problem in a library.

According to a July 18, 2000, story in the Enquirer, Pannell was accused of attacking a woman with a syringe at Ohio State University's main library. He was charged with assault and possession of criminal tools. The woman was treated at an area hospital and released.

Woman falls into restaurant

Woman falls into restaurant
BY JENNIFER BAKER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
May 9, 2008

DOWNTOWN - Police and fire crews responded to a report about 11:30 a.m. that a woman fell through an apartment floor and into a restaurant below on Walnut Street,

The woman was on the floor inside Trattoria Roma Restaurant, 609 Walnut St., emergency reports state. A manager said the woman appeared to be OK.

An ambulance was called to the scene.

The Enquirer will update this story as information develops.

Update: Toilet snoozer snoozing on a porch

WCPO May 2 2008

"Not" A Toilet, But Sleeping Man Arrested Again

Reported by: Lance Barry Email: lance.barry@wcpo.com Last Update: 2:04 pm

A man who has been arrested three times in recent days for allegedly sleeping on portable toilets was taken into police custody yet again for napping.

Early Friday morning, 46-year-old Gil Duff of Cincinnati was arrested by Deer Park Police after he fell asleep on the front porch of a woman's house on the 8100 block of Blue Ash Road.

Police said Duff was found passed out on the porch shortly after midnight. He is facing one count of criminal trespassing.

On Thursday, Duff was allegedly caught sleeping in the men's room at Chamberlain Park on Plainfield Road.

Before that Duff was arrested twice after he fell asleep on portable toilets at Bechtold Park.

In the first alleged instance, Duff was heard snoring by a passing police officer. A beer was found next to him according to police.

This most recent arrest means Duff has been arrested four times since April 23.

Toilet Snoozer Trilogy

Notice, all these take place within 2 weeks. Some drunk dude, thrice, has been found (who knows how) drunk and sleeping in a Port-o-potty.

Toilet snoozer arrested again
THE ENQUIRER
May 1, 2008
You can take a man off the toilet, but odds are good he’ll just find another one.

Notorious toilet snoozer Gil Duff was arrested again on the john Wednesday – that’s his third arrest in a bathroom in nine days – this time sleeping in the men’s room at Chamberlain Park in the 7600 block of Plainfield Road.

Duff’s previous arrests took place in a portable toilet in Sycamore Township’s Bechtold Park.

According to Wednesday’s arrest report, police got a call about an intoxicated man stumbling in the park at about 1 p.m. They found Duff, 45, sleeping in the men’s room and emitting a “strong odor of alcohol.”

Police say his speech was slurred and he needed help walking. They found a 40-ounce can of beer in his pocket.

As in the previous cases, Duff is charged with disorderly conduct while intoxicated.

Toilet snoozer back again
BY LORI KURTZMAN
The Enquirer, April 28 2008

The lure of the portable toilet is strong.

At least it would seem that way for Gil Duff.

Just six days after a bike cop heard Duff snoring inside a port-a-potty and found the 45-year-old snoozing on the john – pants up, a beer by his side – Duff was once again back on the toilet.

Police arrested Duff at 3:45 this morning inside a portable toilet in Sycamore Township’s Bechtold Park, the same place they found him last Tuesday.

According to the arrest report, Duff was “found passed out and extremely intoxicated.”

The report noted that Duff was been warned “countless times” not to be drunk in the park.

Duff’s Tuesday arrest report stated that it was the third time he’d been seen passed out and intoxicated in public.

Duff was jailed on a charge of disorderly conduct while intoxicated.

Toilet snoozer arrested
BY LORI KURTZMAN | LKURTZMAN@ENQUIRER.COM
The Enquirer, April 23 2008

The unusual noise coming out of a portable toilet in Sycamore Township’s Bechtold Park caught the bike cop’s ear

When the officer popped open the door, here’s what he saw, according to the arrest report:

Gil Duff.

Sitting on the john.

Pants pulled up.

Snoring away.

An open beer can beside him.

The officer arrested Duff, 45, of Deer Park, on charges of criminal trespass and disorderly conduct while intoxicated.

The report said this the third time Duff’s been seen “passed out and intoxicated” in a public place.

Arrests easier than taking candy

I WILL make fun of this situation when I don't know the facts.

Arrests easier than taking candy
Wrapper trail leads police to group with baby
BY JENNIFER BAKER | JBAKER@ENQUIRER.COM
The Enquirer
April 11, 2008

How do you catch a suspect in a candy store break-in?

Follow the candy wrappers.

That's exactly what Cincinnati police did after the Peter Minges & Son candy store downtown was broken into early Thursday.

The trail led them to Christine Ruther, 19, of Green Township. She is charged with taking her newborn child along while she broke into the West Court Street store and swiped about $500 in candy, police said.

Ruther was charged with child endangering and breaking and entering. Also charged with breaking and entering were Terrance Ware, 18, of Northside; Rebecca Gamble, 18, of Blue Ash; and Dwight Reed, 22, of Walnut Hills.

The group was arrested a few blocks away at Fourth and Race streets after police followed a trail of candy and wrappers. Police said Ruther had her 7-week-old daughter with her.

Ruther told police she and her baby accompanied three people to the break-in and watched.

She also told officers they used the baby stroller to transport the candy.

Leslie Betts, manager of the 103-year-old family candy distributing business, said the quartet stole every kind of candy imaginable: "Reece cups, Skittles, Twizzlers, you name it."

Betts said that she learned about the break-in when Cincinnati police officers called her at home at around 1:30 a.m.

"You've been broken into," she said police told her. "We're guarding the Swedish fish. Hurry. Come down. We can't leave the store. It's wide open."

Police also called Ruther's mother, Amy Ruther, and asked her to come pick up the baby at District 1 police headquarters in the West End, Amy Ruther said.

She said she was shocked and upset over her daughter's arrest.

"She has some problems and we have been trying to help her for a long time through doctors," Amy Ruther said of her daughter. "When someone is that age you can't force them to do anything. People shouldn't make fun of the situation when they don't know the facts. She is a good person."

She said Christine Ruther and the baby live with her and her husband, but they haven't been able to reach Christine this week.

Amy Ruther said she doesn't think the break-in was planned because the baby was with her daughter.

"I love that baby. She is a beautiful baby," she said. "That's one thing: Christy did really take good care of that baby until now."

Brian Gregg, spokesman for Hamilton County Department of Job & Family Services, said the agency, which oversees children services and foster care, is investigating.

Detective finds lost pets

No shit, I know this guy. didn't know he was a pet detective though. Seems to me his dog does all the work though. Nice that Rudy made it home.
Detective finds lost pets

Indian Hill owner learns the joy of a dog returning home

BY JESSICA BROWN
Jan 7, 2008
The Enquirer

Rudy had been missing for six days. The temperatures had dropped below freezing, leaving little hope that the 14-year-old, 25-pound dog had survived.

Owner Mindy Ellis was desperate.

"We searched the woods, we went to the humane society, I'd talked to groomers, the trash man, the mailman, friends, neighbors. Everyone gave up hope but me. They thought he'd gone away to die or been snatched up or eaten."

But the Indian Hill woman wasn't ready to give up on finding the little black Puli who loves people and is fiercely protective of his family.

She called the "pet detective." Yes, there really is such a thing. And he saved the day.

His name is Jim Berns. By day the College Hill man runs the wood and machine shop at the University of Cincinnati's architecture school. On evenings and weekends, Berns, 59, and his search dog Samantha - a 2-year-old Bluetick Coonhound - search for lost pets. They become heroes for people like Ellis.

"It's just amazing," Ellis said after Berns and Samantha found her dog in less than six minutes - a personal record for Samantha. "We were all just so impressed with him. I think if more people knew about him there would be so many more people who would find their pets."

At first, everyone thought Ellis was crazy. She had Googled the term "pet detective," not even certain that it was a real thing. "My husband thought I was insane," she said. "People thought I was crazy." But lo and behold, she found Berns, an actual pet detective, right here in Cincinnati.

Berns serves as the Cincinnati branch of Pet Search and Rescue, a California company started by Berns' daughter, Annalisa. He charges a base fee of $350 - slightly more if you live more than 30 minutes away.

He takes information from the pet owner, then he and Samantha begin their search.

On Saturday they arrived at Ellis' house at 9 a.m. It was day six of the search for Rudy.

They took Samantha to the place where Rudy was last seen - a broken backyard fence - and gave her a whiff of one of Rudy's toys. Samantha followed the scent of the little black dog to a neighbor's yard where the family had looked several times before. But this time, as they called Rudy's name, his little head popped up from a ditch and he barked.

He was pinned between a log and a fence in a neighbor's yard. He couldn't move his legs, but he was alive.

"I've never been so happy in my entire life!" said Ellis of the moment she saw her dog. "I was screaming 'That's my dog! That's my dog!"

That's part of the payoff for Berns.

"People I do this for are so appreciative," he said. "A lot of the time they start crying they're so happy."

He's been doing his "hobby" of pet detective work for about a year and averages about one search a weekend. Business has increased since several news stations picked up a story in November about Berns' search for a soldier's lost dog.

He was trying to get the dog home in time for the soldier's return home from Iraq.

Berns, who grew up on a farm with a litter of Bluetick Coonhounds, rescued Samantha from the pound a year ago and put her through training similar to what police dogs go through. He's working on training a second search dog, Chloe. They track the lost pet by scent, the way a police search dog would track a lost child or a fleeing suspect. She has a 30 to 40 percent success rate finding the lost pets. Sometimes they're alive, sometimes they're not.

Either way it is considered a successful mission.

"If you find a pet that's been killed or died, at least the owner has some closure. They know for sure what happened to the dog and you can put that behind you," Berns said. "We think it's a positive either way."

Rudy is not out of the woods yet. He stayed the rest of the weekend at a veterinarian's office in Bond Hill.

On Sunday he was still receiving IV fluids and couldn't move his back legs. He had a high temperature, but he was eating his food, Ellis said. She's unsure of his prognosis.

But no matter what happens, she has peace knowing her home-body of a dog who loves people and "just wants to be loved," was reunited with his family, she said.

After all, she had already done everything she could think of to do. Posters, searches, even a pet psychic, who told her Rudy was "near the house and couldn't move" but couldn't pin down the exact spot.

"I was ready to have a nervous breakdown. I cried every day," she said. "In my heart I felt he was here and close by."

She paid Berns $420. She got her dog back. It was worth every penny.

The crack was still cooking

Crackhead Thanksgiving?
The crack was still cooking
THE ENQUIRER
Nov 21, 2007

COLERAIN TWP. - A drug investigation ended Wednesday when Colerain Township police searched a home near Taylor Elementary and found a woman cooking crack cocaine in a bedroom.

Officers searched a house in the 10100 block of Windswept Drive around 3 p.m. and arrested Steven Heckman, 44, and Cynthia Rider, 44, according to Officer Andy Demeropolis.

When officers walked into the bedroom, the crack cocaine was still cooking in a pot, Demeropolis said.


Heckman was charged with two counts of trafficking in drugs in the vicinity of a school and the illegal manufacture of drugs.

Rider was charged with drug possession and illegal manufacture of drugs.

Cops: Beer-guzzling bandit

Cops: Beer-guzzling bandit
BY KIMBALL PERRY | KPERRY@ENQUIRER.COM
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Nov 15, 2007

Ronald Terry liked sipping suds when he was stealing stuff, police said.

Empty beer cans and bottles led to his arrest and his possible fourth trip to a state prison.

Terry, 46, was arrested Wednesday and charged with two counts of robbery of an unoccupied in the 5200 block of Sidney Road in Green Township.

Police say Terry first broke into the home Aug. 25, entering through a rear basement door.

In that incident, various power tools were taken from the home. While the thief was there, police said he drank beer from a 16-ounce Milwaukee’s Best can.

Police know that because the crook left the can in the house. He also left his DNA on the beer can because his saliva was on the can where he drank from it.

The same house was broken into three days later and the crook took copper water piping from the basement.

This time, the crook again had a cold one because police found a King Cobra beer bottle inside the basement.

Police submitted the beer can and bottle to the Hamilton County coroner’s lab for DNA analysis and they told police the DNA belonged to Terry.

Terry was arrested at the Hamilton County Justice Center where he was being held while awaiting trial on theft and forgery charges. He lives in Clermont County’s Miami Township.

Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge John Burlew, noting Terry has been to prison three times and has 14 prior felony arrests, ordered him held on a $100,000 bond.

Police close Main Street after crowds

Dozens! of Teens! In public! No arrests! Scary!

Police close Main Street after crowds
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Nov 11, 2007


OVER-THE-RHINE Dozens of teens gathered in Over-the-Rhine’s Main Street night club area late Sunday, forcing Cincinnati police to call in extra help and temporarily closing off streets.

Cincinnati police scanners reported at approximately 10:45 p.m. that a crowd of youths from a nearby unidentified teen club had crowded into the intersection of Main and 12th streets, forcing police to close Main Street just north of Central Parkway.

No arrests were reported and police are continuing their investigation.

New law known as 'driver relief'

I'm pretty sure the first line of this article is the most racist thing I've ever read from a news reporter..."Since those who need to probably won't read this." Lovely. And if this isn't the most racist thing I've read, it's at least the most condescending. Biatch, I hope you can't hear your NPR.

New law known as 'driver relief'
Loud stereo will drain the wallet
BY EILEEN KELLEY | EKELLEY@ENQUIRER.COM
Oct 28, 2007

Since those who need to probably won't read this...

Here's a verbal approach the rest of you can use next time you're in the situation where the THUMP THUMP THUMP of a fellow driver's stereo washes out your child's nursery rhymes or the zingers from the "Car Talk" guys on PBS.

You know the ones - those with the car stereos that make your windows shake and cause loose change to fall off the dashboard. The ones who, no matter how long and how mean the stare you give them at the stoplight, just don't seem to get the message that their stereo drives you batty.

Well, take heed. Tougher penalties and the possibility of having that loud car towed are now in place in Cincinnati and they could be just the thing to save your sanity.

And your eardrums.

And the Car Talk guys' zingers.

City council last week voted to toughen the current code.

While it may take time for word to make its way to those who really do need to read this, should you care to give it a go with a verbal approach, may we suggest this:

Ahem. (Clear throat.) Excuse me.

Hello, excuse me. (Hmm, clearly not working. Let's try waving hands frantically and then turn wrist clockwise in a manner that simulates the rolling down of a window.

(It worked.)

Hello. Yes you. Can you - CAN YOU PLEASE TURN DOWN YOUR MUSIC for just a minute.

Please.

Yes you. (A bit sheepish now.) You, the person with the cranked-up bass. Lovely song, by the way.

(Smile)

Thank you. Just wanted to pass on a tip from the city's friendly men in blue and members of Cincinnati City Council: Keep blaring that music while you tool around town and you could see your ride on the rear of a tow truck.

That's right.

Oh, you've been nabbed before?

But how much did it cost?

You see, Cincinnati police already go after noise violators to the tune of about 550 a year.

How many are repeat offenders isn't known, but some on city council are hoping that stiffer fines and the possibility of having the alleged offender's car towed will reduce the number of people who insist that everyone within a block of their ride wants to hear their song.

That is, if you can call THUMP THUMP THUMP a song.

The towing and added fines measure earned support of all city council members but David Crowley. All nine members on the council are up for re-election.

The measure was proposed by council members Leslie Ghiz and Cecil Thomas and penalties will include:

A $150 increase in the fine - to $250 for first-time offenders.

For those nabbed again within a year of their first conviction, the fine would be $350. A third time within a year of the first conviction? A $500 fine and the possibility of having the car towed. More fees for impounding and storage of the vehicle would apply and the fine must be paid to get back the car.

"It's garbage music," said Thomas. "The bottom line is we have people all over the city that are sick and tired of hearing that (booming) sound and that kind of language."

Laws regulating loud cars have been on the books since the late 1970s. In 1979, the fine was not less than $12 and not more than $25.

Prior to the change Wednesday, the maximum fine was $100. Now it's a mandatory $250 fine for a first offense. That might get people to think twice and not turn the volume knob so far to the right that a bup bup bup turns to a THUMP THUMP THUMP.

"I would think it would," said Thomas

Ghiz admitted the matter might seem trivial for a big city with more pressing problems, but said she hears loud stereo complaints frequently. Less than 24 hours after the adjustment to the ordinance was passed, Ghiz and Thomas said community feedback has been positive.

"I had a grandmother call me and say, 'Thank you thank you thank you,' Thomas said.

So there you have it. Remember, should you decide to spread the word to those who really do need to read this be sure and smile again as you pass the word along.

So thank you for your time and um, lovely song by the way.

White Castle Day is Next Monday

At least the mayor has a sense of humor? This is mildly embarrassing for the city, but their coffee is the bomb, so you should go get some

White Castle Day Is Next Monday

Local12.com
Oct 10, 2007

It's a local favorite for those of us who sometimes have a greasy craving... or just want a quick cup of strong coffee.

Now White Castle has it's very own day.

Mayor Mark Mallory has declared Monday, October 15th "White Castle" Day in Cincinnati.

This year marks a big milestone for the slider.

White Castle has been a Cincinnati-area landmark for 80 years.

The first restaurant started serving up little square burgers on Walnut Street in 1927.

There are now 45 locations around the tri-state.

To celebrate their big day on Monday, White Castle will offer sliders for ten cents... but the limit is eight.

And coffee will only cost you five-cents that day.

Updated: New obstacle for Banks

TAKE THE FUCKING BUS! This article seriously infuriates me. I've been cursing about it all day. Share a ride! Carpool! Get a bike! Take the bus! Ask for better public transit instead of more shitty parking garages. You know what's cheaper than parking "a few blocks away"? Riding the bus. Splitting a tank of gas. Seriously. I hate you people
Updated: New obstacle for Banks
New development will mean less parking for downtown workers
BY JESSICA BROWN | JLBROWN@ENQUIRER.COM
October 9, 2007

Representatives from eight downtown business interests have sent another letter to Cincinnati City Council and Hamilton County Commissioners, this time complaining that the proposed Banks riverfront development will erase parking spaces now used by downtown workers.

Although the businesses say they support the development in general, they fear the project won't include enough parking for the people who work downtown.

County Commissioner Todd Portune urged his fellow elected leaders to "stay the course" and approve the Banks plans as proposed when it comes time to do so. Officials of the Banks Working Group did not return calls.

"It's certainly worth looking at and we need to review it," said Cincinnati Councilman Chris Bortz, "but I don't think that in and of itself is a reason to disapprove or approve this first phase of the development."

Many of people who work downtown choose to park in lots a few blocks away on the riverfront because it is cheaper than the downtown garages, according to the letter dated Friday.

However, those parking lots will become the construction site for the Banks and, although the project will include new parking garages, critics fear those spaces will be allocated to people using the Banks buildings and not enough will be saved for downtown business employees.

"Office buildings were developed in our (central business district) with significant reliance on the parking available at the riverfront," states the letter, noting that many garages for downtown businesses don't even have enough parking spots for the people who work there. Five buildings alone - Atrium I, Atrium II, 312 Walnut, PNC Center/Chemed Center and 309 Vine/Fourth & Vine Tower Complex - require an additional 7,000 parking spaces above what their garages offer, according to the letter

The letter notes that the high cost of downtown parking is a "major reason" some office tenants have chosen to relocate to the suburbs.

This is the third such letter that downtown businesses have sent to City Council about the project. Other letters have taken issue with proposed increases in the height and density of the development, and the possibility that the Banks will obstruct views of the river and the Cincinnati skyline.

The Banks is a proposed 18-acre mixed-use neighborhood district between Paul Brown Stadium and Great American Ball Park. Details of the project are being worked out and a development agreement with Atlanta companies Carter Real Estate and the Harold A. Dawson Co. is not yet final.

However, developers still estimate an end-of-the-year ground-breaking. The city's Economic Development Committee is expecting to vote Oct. 23 on the increases in the height and density. A hearing date for a joint city/county vote on the development agreement is expected to be announced this week.

Businesses that signed the letter are: American Financial Group Inc., Scripps Center, Western and Southern Life Insurance Co., Al Neyer Inc., Hines Interests Ltd. Partnership, Fourth & Vine Tower, the Capital Investment Group, and Swan Consulting and Design.

Professor's office raided

Oh no! Not a naked woman! ANYTHING but a naked woman!
Professor's office raided
BY CLIFF PEALE | CPEALE@ENQUIRER.COM
October 9, 2007

Hamilton County Park District Rangers raided a professor’s office at the University of Cincinnati’s Raymond Walters College Monday as part of an investigation into a class project that filmed a nude model in Sharon Woods park.

The rangers took computers and other media items from the office, home and car of Michael Sanders, director of electronic media at Raymond Walters in Blue Ash, according to Capt. Rick Spreckelmeier.

In a statement, Spreckelmeier said:

“As part of a school film project, a class from University of Cincinnati’s Raymond Walters Branch had been given permission to film in Sharon Woods on August 22, 2007. When the duty Ranger checked on the group, it was discovered that the class, led by Michael Sanders, was filming at least one nude subject. The group then quickly left the park.

“In an attempt to ascertain if any criminal activity took place in conjunction with the filming, a copy of the tape was requested from Mr. Sanders. To this point, Mr. Sanders has been uncooperative.”

Rangers consulted with the Hamilton County prosecutor’s office and obtained a search warrant for Sanders’ home, his vehicles and the offices of the Electronic Media Communications Department at Raymond Walters.

In a park district incident report, the ranger says that he walked to Gorge Trail to check on the group at about 11 p.m. to see how much longer they would be in the park.

“As I looked down in the creek, I could see an unknown female who was not wearing any clothing,’’ the ranger states. “She was facing away from me wearing only a pair of black wings.’’

After the ranger questioned Sanders and fellow UC professor Lou Olenick, Sanders “stated that he told them it was a mythological tale,” according to the report.

Later the model had put on clothes and the class left Sharon Woods about 11:45 p.m., the report said.

UC spokesman Greg Hand said the park rangers contacted the university several weeks ago seeking help in investigating the incident. The university contacted Sanders, who declined to cooperate, Hand said.

The investigation is continuing. No charges have been filed.

Sanders did not respond to calls at his home or office this morning. Olenick referred calls to a college spokeswoman.

Water balloon bombers arrested

Water balloon bombers arrested
BY KIMBALL PERRY | KPERRY@ENQUIRER.COM
The Enquirer, October 5, 2007

Necoli Carr-Ballard knew the forecast Thursday afternoon didn’t call for rain so she wondered where the sprinkles hitting her head were coming from when she stepped out onto Downtown’s Sixth Street.

“I almost got hit by a water balloon,” said Carr-Ballard, an employee at the Moler-Hollywood Beauty Academy at 130 E. Sixth St.

So did others, police said in arresting three men for throwing water balloons off the top of the eight-story building at 130 E. Sixth St. – and capturing the results on video.

Police believe the balloons were aimed at people on the sidewalk who stopped to pick up a $1 bill the men glued to the sidewalk.

“The video shows the whole incident,” police said.

Carr-Ballard left the beauty academy’s building just before 4 p.m. Thursday to move her car.

That’s when she felt the spray caused when the water balloon tossed from eight stories up smacked into the sidewalk.

“I looked up and said, ‘What’s going on?’ I stumbled into someone (walking past).”

When she saw it was water balloons, she knew it wasn’t somebody at the school – and suspected it had something to do with the men she saw climbing the building’s fire escape earlier.

Students reported seeing a young black man wearing a back pack on the fire escape, accompanied by a young white man.

Soon, she was back in the beauty academy offices when Cincinnati police showed up, looking for the balloon launchers.

Eventually, seven Cincinnati police officers – and the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office helicopter – were called to arrest three men, two of whom were hiding on the roof, Ballard said.
Arrested were Rodney Smith, 22, of Norwood; Dan Schmidt, 23, of West Price Hill, and; Brandon Meyer, 22, of Reading.

“Everybody was wondering what was going on,” Ballard said. “It was crazy.”

No injuries were reported, but Ballard said the stupid stunt was one more reason the beauty academy is leaving Downtown, moving to Pleasant Ridge next week.

“We’re too old for this,” Ballard, 37, said.

In court Friday, Smith pleaded no contest to inducing panic and disorderly conduct and was found guilty.

Smith was ordered held on $8,000 bond for those charges – and a driving under suspension warrant that was out on him – by Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Julie Stautberg.

Smith can be jailed for 180 days, but the judge delayed his sentencing until Oct. 25 because she wants to find out how much time and expense police went to to arrest the trio, presumably because part of their sentence will include repaying that money.

Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Barnett said it costs taxpayers $195 per hour to operate the helicopter used in arresting the trio.

Both Schmidt, a self-employed music producer accused of recording the incident with a video camera, and Meyer, a college graduate who works at Johnny’s Toys, were ordered held today on $5,000 bond.

Their attorneys wouldn’t talk about what they trio was going to do with the video.

While some may think it a silly prank, Ballard was worried about how badly it could have gone.

“Somebody could have been hurt,” she said.

“You know, really, a small prank can become something worse.”

Why can't cops do job? Oh, I'm charged

Uh, I don't know why this made it into the newspaper, and I don't know why this journalist has a job.
Why can't cops do job? Oh, I'm charged
Sept 20, 2007
The Enquirer

NORTHSIDE - A College Hill man who repeatedly insisted that the police weren't doing their jobs found one officer willing to do his.

About 2:45 p.m. Friday, Omar Armstrong, 22, was pulled over along Hamilton Avenue in Northside by Cincinnati Police Officer John Haynes. Armstrong had abruptly changed lanes right in front of the officer, forcing the officer to hit the cruiser's brakes, police said.

"No signal given, just an abrupt change of course," says the incident report.

"(I) advised why I stopped him and he stated he had been stopped back on the corner because the police weren't doing their jobs," Haynes wrote. The man "continued with (complaining about) the police not doing their jobs, even after being warned. At that time, I did my job."

Now Haynes faces four charges: driving under suspension, failure to wear a seat belt, failure to signal change of course, and no front license plate.

UC dean has clear views

UC dean has clear views
BY CLIFF PEALE | CPEALE@ENQUIRER.COM
Sept 24, 2007

CORRYVILLE - Valerie Hardcastle is trained as a philosopher with a specialty in areas such as cognitive neuropsychology.

She's an amateur bodybuilder who says she has done her last show.

That might make her an unlikely candidate to be a college dean. Yet as Hardcastle says, here she is, the new dean of the University of Cincinnati's biggest academic unit, the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences.

"I always thought I'd just be a professor and teach my students," says Hardcastle, 43. "And here I am."

She came to UC from Virginia Tech, where she was associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. Raised in Texas, she earned her doctoral degree in philosophy and cognitive science from the University of California at San Diego in 1994. She spent a year at UC in the late 1990s as a Taft Fellow.

Hardcastle sits now in one of the toughest spots at UC. The College of Arts and Sciences provides nearly 40 percent of the university's instructional load and touches virtually every undergraduate student during their stay. Overall enrollment included about 6,200 students last year.

UC started classes Wednesday with about 36,500 students and 4,150 freshmen on the main campus, both records.

With bigger and bigger classes expected during the next several years, the load carried by Arts and Sciences will only increase.

At the same time, Hardcastle is under the same budget-cutting mandate as every other UC department, making her job even more difficult.

"This increased enrollment this fall is putting immense demands on Arts and Sciences because those are the portal courses," UC President Nancy Zimpher says.

Hardcastle says every big university has budget constraints but controlling costs within a particular academic year doesn't allow smooth transitions.

"There's no fat here to cut," says Hardcastle, who receives $210,000 a year as dean. "When you have large budgets to cut here in a short period of time, it's impossible to do it strategically."

The other theme of Hardcastle's first year at UC will be new interdisciplinary programs, another trend throughout the university. The college is planning a neuroscience major as soon as fall 2008.

The college is also expanding its journalism offerings and will start a Media Studies program in cooperation with the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning, Hardcastle says.

Students also will find her in the campus recreation center working out. She says she won't do bodybuilding shows anymore but still works out nearly every day.

"I mainly just did it for a hobby," she says of the bodybuilding shows.

Hardcastle acknowledges becoming a dean is an unusual career path for philosophers.

"I think some of the traits of a good philosopher can make you a good dean," she said.

"What philosophers want to do is see the big picture. That's what deans want to do."

Man Saws House In Half In Title Dispute

Man Saws House In Half In Title Dispute
Rogers Charged With Vandalism, Aggravated Menacing

POSTED: 10:41 pm EDT September 24, 2007
UPDATED: 10:38 am EDT September 25, 2007
wlwt.com




CINCINNATI -- A man who became fed up with friends who had agreed to build him a house was arrested in connection with threats made against the homebuilders and destruction of property, police said.

Rodney Rogers, 66, had made an agreement with his friends, the Bowers, to buy a house the Bowers were building after it was completed.

Rogers was living in the home while the final renovations were being made, and he said he agreed to pay the Bowers with cash. After the house was completed, however, the Bowers wouldn’t give him the title and would not tell him for how much they were going to sell it, police said.

Rogers, who lost patience with the Bowers, according to his faimly, sawed the entire house, through siding, drywall and windows, in half, police said.

"(He's the) nicest guy you ever met -- real good guy. (He) treated me well," Rogers' neighbor Zyndall Russell said.

Rogers then showed police what he had done and told them he was going to "take care of the Bowers."

Police said they found a loaded gun inside Rogers' home and arrested him on vandalism and aggravated menacing charges.

"I think he was just trying to throw that out there and maybe use some scare tactics to see if anything would get accomplished that way," Rogers' nephew, Mark Rogers, said. "He's just worked his butt off his whole life, and he's got nothing to show for it, and this home was his pride and joy up there. So I just want him to get out and enjoy the rest of his life."

Mark said Rodney Rogers is a diabetic and suffers from carbon monoxide poisoning to the degree that he was told he would not live past last August.

Mark said that he believes what Rodney Rogers did was wrong, but he said Rodney deserves what he paid for.

The Bowers said they would have sold the title to Rodney Rogers, but he never offered money to buy it.

Rodney Rogers' family said they want him to be treated fairly in regards to getting the rights to the home.

He is scheduled to be back in court Thursday.

Bengals: Let us cut the poop

Bengals: Let us cut the poop
BY JANE PRENDERGAST | JPRENDERGAST@ENQUIRER.COM
The Enquirer
Sept 27, 2007

Operators of Paul Brown Stadium want permission from the city to shoot birds that have been pooping on Bengals fans.

At the request of Eric Brown, managing director of the county-owned stadium, city officials are looking into the legal issues surrounding possibly shooting the birds.

City ordinances prohibit the firing of guns in public, but City Manager Milton Dohoney can issue an exemption.


The stadium will take center stage again next week as the site for Monday Night Football, a time when the whole city tries to dress up downtown for its appearance on national television.

Truck Crash, Hot Dogs Shut Down I-471 For Hours

Truck Crash, Hot Dogs Shut Down I-471 For Hours
Highway Reopens After 3-Hour Closure

POSTED: 10:11 am EDT September 26, 2007
UPDATED: 2:12 pm EDT September 26, 2007
wlwt.com

Ky. -- A crash that left a smelly mess closed much of Interstate 471 in northern Kentucky for several hours.

Police said a car lost control and hit a truck near the 1.1 mile marker just before 10 a.m., causing the truck to hit the median wall and overturn.

Officials said the truck spilled animal byproducts across the road. Video from Sky 5 showed a bulldozer and men with shovels attempting to scrape the material off to the side of the road as a pair of tow trucks helped set the truck upright.

A News 5 photographer said the stench in the air was enough to make people sick.

The photographer said most of what was on the road appeared to be hot dogs.

There have been no reports of injuries so far.

Traffic was getting by briefly on the right shoulder, but all three lanes were closed, as were all ramps to southbound I-471.

Just after 11 a.m., officials began detouring vehicles trying to cross on the I-471 bridge over the Ohio River from Cincinnati.

The road reopened shortly after 1 p.m.

Mom: Thieves Took Urn With Son's Ashes

I don't like to make fun of dead people, but isn't Darrol Bingman the worst name you've ever heard?
Mom: Thieves Took Urn With Son's Ashes
Local12.com


A local mother asks for help to get back something she can't replace... her son's ashes.

Barbara Covia says the urn was stolen during a burglary. Local 12 reporter Jessica Donnellon talked with the Covington woman who said this is not the first time this has happened.

Covia says the urn is about the size of a phone book and on the front of it is a gold plate with her son's name, Darrold Bingman, engraved on it.

Barbara says the urn was one of several things taken from her home. However, she says the ashes are only valuable to her and she hopes the crook will bring them back.

The burglar broke in through a kitchen window on the backside of her apartment on Welsh Drive in Covington, just over a week ago. Covia says the thief took her social security card, her birth certificate, money, a diamond watch, several jewelry boxes and the urn.

Covia says this is not the first time her son's ashes have been stolen. She says her son was murdered about 14 years ago out in Phoenix, Arizona. Darrold was shot during a robbery at a gas station where he had stopped to cash a check. His ashes were stolen a few months later.

Barbara says she went to a television station out there to ask for help and she got the ashes back about three years later. She hopes someone will return them again.

If you have any information that could help police, call CrimeStoppers at 352-3040. Remember, you don't have to give your name to get cash for your clues.