The Findlay Police Department says a shot was fired into the ceiling of a residence during an armed robbery.

It happened at a residence in the 1100 block of Brookside Drive at around 5 o’clock Tuesday afternoon.

Police say the two residents told them that four black males were visiting them and playing video games when one of the suspects pulled a gun, fired one round into the ceiling and began to tie up one of the residents.

The suspects took a small safe containing cash and a rifle.

Two of the suspects fled in a vehicle eastbound on Blanchard Avenue and two on foot westbound on Blanchard Avenue.

Police say they located a possible suspect vehicle but the suspects were not located.

No injuries were reported by the residents.

Anyone who may have information about the armed robbery should contact the Findlay Police Department at 419-424-7150.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol says 10 people were killed in eight fatal traffic crashes on Ohio roadways over the Labor Day weekend.

During Labor Day weekend last year, 12 people were killed in 12 fatal crashes.

This year troopers arrested 538 drivers for OVI compared to 665 OVI arrests from Labor Day weekend of 2019.

Troopers also issued 3,289 safety belt citations over the holiday weekend and provided assistance to 2,944 drivers.

 

U.S. 68 through Arlington reopened Saturday morning after being closed for four months as the roadway was reconstructed.

The Ohio Department of Transportation says the project includes curb and gutter, drainage and storm sewer from the south corporation limit to Liberty Street and from Buck Run to just north of Wardwell Street.

The village and ODOT completed phase 1 of the project in 2018 when the roadway between Liberty Street and Buck Run was reconstructed.

“It is all coming together and looking nice. Some work remains,” said Arlington Mayor Marcia Smith.

She says the final striping at crosswalks and interchanges will occur within two weeks.

Local businesses are thankful the roadway has reopened and expect operations to begin returning to normal.

Curly’s Pizza and Drivethru owner, Bradley Cooper, closed July 2nd and will begin phasing in parts of the business.

Jamie Grieser, part-owner of Cheeky Bear, said “We plan to return to normal hours next week, including our grab-and go-breakfasts.”

ODOT says the pavement of U.S. 68 was built in the 1910s and 1920s and the original brick base beneath much of the pavement was poorly drained, leading to frequent pavement failures and repairs.

 

Good morning, Hancock County! The barricades are pulled off the highway as U. S. 68 in the village of Arlington opens today after a four month closure to reconstruct the roadway. Enjoy! pic.twitter.com/YMgeyOMHNy

— ODOT NW Ohio (@ODOT_NWOhio) September 5, 2020

Three teenagers have been charged in the killing of an undercover Cleveland police detective.

18-year-old David McDaniel, Jr. is charged with two counts of aggravated murder, while a 17-year-old and a 15-year-old face the same charges in juvenile court.

Detective James Skernivitz was gunned down Thursday night while sitting in an unmarked squad car with a drug informant, who was also killed.

Prosecutors say they were shot during a botched robbery attempt.

Governor DeWine offered his condolences during his Tuesday coronavirus briefing, saying Skernivitz spent more than two decades in law enforcement protecting the people of Ohio.

He leaves behind a wife and three children.

 

Today, Cleveland first responders including Divisions of @ClevelandFire and @ClevelandEMS joined us as Detective James Skernivitz was escorted to the funeral home. Detective Skernivitz was killed in the line of duty on Sept. 3, 2020. @CityofCleveland pic.twitter.com/fCafyCk90Y

— Cleveland Police (@CLEpolice) September 5, 2020

Governor DeWine says Putnam County still has the highest occurrence of COVID-19 cases in the state based on population.

In his Tuesday coronavirus update, the governor said Putnam County had 301.2 cases per 100,000 people from August 25th through September 7th.

The rate is an increase from 233.3 cases per 100,000 from the previous week.

During the August 25th through September 7th timeframe 102 cases were reported.

State data shows Putnam County has had a total of 422 cases and 17 deaths.

Putnam County is at the “red” alert level, or level three, on the state’s COVID-19 county by county alert map.

Hancock County is still at level two, or the “orange” level.

 

Top ten Ohio counties ranked by highest occurrence ⬇ pic.twitter.com/XxOKrxePQs

— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) September 8, 2020

Findlay Municipal Court will be holding a Safe Surrender Week.

Officials say anyone who has a bench warrant for their arrest through municipal court, regardless of the reason, can set up an appointment to have the warrant released.

All the individual needs to do is show up to meet with court staff at the scheduled date and time.

In order to comply with social distancing and other health protocols, appointments and masks are required.

The number to call to make an appointment is 419-424-7141.

Safe Surrender Week is September 28th through October 2nd.

Court officials say, during last year’s event, the municipal court cleared 119 bench warrants in just one day.

There are currently 2,631 active warrants through Findlay Municipal Court.

 

 

The Findlay-Hancock County Public Library is celebrating National Library Card Sign-Up Month.

They’re urging their more than 30,000 library cardholders to send them a photo on social media of themselves with their library card along with the tag #FHCPLShowUsYourLibraryCard and a winner will be chosen to receive a gift card to downtown Findlay.

And people who don’t have a card yet are encouraged to sign up for one.

Director Sarah Clevidence says most years the library staff would use their time at the Hancock County Fair to share the benefits of having a library card with the community.

But since there was no fair this year, the library is asking cardholders to share with their family and friends about a great book they checked out from the library or a great selection for movie night you found at the library.

The library says, with the public’s help, they can go beyond their original goal of every child to every member of the community as a library card cardholder.

Get more on National Library Card Sign-Up Month here.

 

Governor DeWine is granting the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals a variance to the section of the state’s sports order that details how many spectators may be allowed to attend games.

DeWine says both teams will be allowed to have up to 6,000 fans at two home games.

Fans must wear a mask and use the designated entrance for their ticket.

The games are as follows:

-September 17th: Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns
-September 27th: Washington at Cleveland Browns
-October 4th: Jacksonville Jaguars at Cincinnati Bengals
-October 25th: Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals

The order the governor released in August said outdoor spectators would be limited to 15 percent of the venue’s capacity or 1,500 people, whichever is less.

“This year will certainly be different, but both the Browns and the Bengals have worked exceedingly hard and have made extensive preparations to welcome a limited number of fans to their stadiums safely,” said Governor Mike DeWine.

“These very thorough plans and safety precautions warrant a two-game trial to try and accommodate fans, at reduced capacities with social distancing and masks.”

DeWine spoke with both the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals organizations to inform them of the variances.

 

Today, the State of Ohio announced that it will grant a variance to the Cincinnati Bengals to host 6,000 fans at the Oct. 4 home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Oct. 25 home game against the Cleveland Browns. ⤵

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 5, 2020

The number of overall cases went up while the number of active cases went down in the latest COVID-19 data from Hancock Public Health.

Health officials say, as of Friday, there have been 554 cases in Hancock County, an increase of 20 from Wednesday.

The number of active cases was at 37 on Friday, a drop of 17 from Wednesday.

Four patients were hospitalized as of Friday and one was in the ICU.

Active cases are patients who are currently under quarantine or isolation.

Hancock Public Health says 50 people have been hospitalized from the virus in Hancock County since the beginning of the pandemic and seven residents have died from it.

Hancock County is at level 2, or orange, on the state’s COVID-19 alert map.

 

The driver of a truck was injured when he crashed on U.S. 68 south of Findlay.

The crash happened at around 9:30 Thursday morning in front of Brinkman’s.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says Marvin Schroeder, 62, of McComb, was driving a truck for the Hancock County Solid Waste District and was southbound on U.S. 68 when he went off the right side of the road.

The truck entered a ditch and then struck the driveway embankment at Brinkman’s before rolling onto its side and sliding across U.S. 68. and coming to rest on the east side of the road and partially covering the road and closing the road in both directions.

Schroeder was taken to Blanchard Valley Hospital for injuries that are not life-threatening.

He was cited for failure to control.

Assisting at the scene was the Arlington Volunteer Fire Department, Appleseed EMS and Dick’s Towing.

In February a semi crashed into the Brinkman’s parking lot. Read about that crash here and see video of both crashes below.

 

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