03/17/17 – 5:44 P.M.

An Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper was recognized Thursday for saving a woman’s life. Trooper Robert Gatchel earned the Patrol’s certificate of recognition.

On November 16 Gatchel was on patrol around Piqua Road near Grubb Road in Allen County. He pulled a woman over for a speeding violation. He noticed that she was in distress and wasn’t breathing properly. She made the universal sign for choking and Gatchel removed her from the vehicle to perform the Heimlich maneuver. He dislodged a piece of food from the driver’s airway, saving her life.

Findlay District Commander Captain Gene Smith said, ” Trooper Gatchel’s immediate response and calm demeanor in an emergency situation saved the victim’s life.”

03/17/17 – 3:18 P.M.

Emergency responders in Hancock County are training in grain bin rescues next Saturday. EMA director Lee Swisher says that grain bins can act like quicksand.

Lee Swisher

The training includes the use of a grain bin simulator.

Lee Swisher

As the grain circulates it will suck in a volunteer attached to harnesses. This will allow the responders to train in extracting someone from a grain bin.

3/17/17 – 7:34 A.M.

A Findlay High School student is getting national attention for the way he asked his girlfriend to prom. Cross Country runner Jordan Fuller used the run mapping app Strava to spell “Prom?” to ask Claire Short to the dance. Fuller ran 5.5 miles to complete the unique promposal.

Short tweeted out a screenshot of the route, and it quickly gained national attention. More than 117,000 people have liked the tweet with another 16,000 retweeting the message. Several national news outlets even picked up the story.

And in case you’re wondering, Short said yes to Fuller.

3/17/17 – 7:17 A.M.

An effort to safeguard classrooms in the county from active shooters got a funding boost this week. Ohio Logistics pledged $25,000 to the Boot project. The boot is a device that can barricade doors in the event of an emergency in a school. The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office aims to have one Boot device for each classroom in the county.

The cost to equip the more than 1,800 classrooms in the county with a Boot is more than $420,000. Fundraising is now at the one-third mark.

Another fundraiser for the project is set for March 31 at Feasel’s Garden Center with a wine tasting event at the business.

3/17/17 – 6:49 A.M.

A judge set bond at $500,000 for a Fostoria man accused of viscously beating his girlfriend this week. The Courier reports 27-year-old Travis Dauterman faces charges of felonious assault and domestic violence. Fostoria Police Chief Keith Loreno provided new details on the assault Thursday. He said Dauterman violently beat the victim with his fists for several hours until she escaped.

The attack allegedly took place at 1635 North Union Street Wednesday. An employee of a nearby business found the woman in the street calling for help around 6:30 a.m. The victim is getting treatment for severe injuries at a Toledo hospital.

Police arrested Dauterman following a lengthy standoff.

MORE: The Courier

3/17/17 – 5:19 A.M.

A crash near Forest took the life of a La Rue man Thursday evening. The Wyandot County Sheriff’s Office reports a two-car crash at the intersection of U.S. 30 and County Highway 81 killed 78-year-old Allen Berry.

A crash report says Berry tried to cross U.S. 30 around 7:20 p.m. when he pulled into the path of a pickup truck driven by 62-year-old David Sharrock of Crestline. The sheriff’s office says Berry wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.

EMS personnel treated Sharrock at the scene of the crash.