Man pleads not guilty in fatal fire case
AKRON — A man indicted on aggravated murder charges for two fatal fires that killed a total of nine people has pleaded not guilty.
Fifty-eight-year-old Stanley Ford, of Akron, appeared for an arraignment Wednesday in Akron. His $7 million bond was continued.
Ford is charged in the May 15 fire in Akron that killed two adults and five children. He’s also charged in an April 2016 fire in Akron that killed 66-year-old Lindell Lewis and 65-year-old Gloria Hart.
Those killed in May were 35-year-old Dennis Huggins, his partner, 38-year-old Angela Boggs, and five children: 14-year-old Jered Boggs, 6-year-old Daisia Huggins, 5-year-old Kylle Huggins, 3-year-old Alivia Huggins and 16-month-old Cameron Huggins. Their bodies were found in the second floor of the home.
Ford’s attorney didn’t immediately return a call for comment.
Judge: Police staged reason for traffic stop
DAYTON — A judge has thrown out evidence against a man arrested on gun charges in an order saying police “staged” their justification for the traffic stop and made remarks that suggest “racial profiling.”
The Dayton Daily News reports a Montgomery County judge granted a motion to suppress evidence from the traffic stop, including a loaded firearm. Prosecutors filed notice Monday they will appeal the order.
Thirty-four-year-old Calvin Wilson is charged with counts including improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle. The police report says officers found marijuana, cash and a gun in the car.
Court records say the officers pulled Wilson over in October after he allegedly cut them off.
Wilson’s attorney didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.
Dayton police officials say they’re reviewing the arrest.
Mortuary closed after mold, maggots found
CARLISLE — An Ohio crematory has been shut down by the state after several unrefrigerated bodies were found to be decomposing, including one covered partly in mold, another that had begun to mummify and a third that was being eaten by maggots.
The Ohio Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors voted Monday to suspend the license of Premium Mortuary Services in Carlisle.
The board says an inspector visited the mortuary last week after receiving a complaint. Upon arrival, he noted a slight odor of decomposition coming from a garage door that was slightly ajar.
Inside he found two coolers not functioning. The board’s report says seven bodies were not embalmed and not refrigerated properly. One had been at the facility since February.
The mortuary did not respond to a request for comment.
Wanted: New ideas for protecting Great Lakes
LANSING, Mich. — Got an original idea for keeping Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes? It could earn you some good money.
Michigan’s “Invasive Carp Challenge” is underway. Gov. Rick Snyder says the state is accepting proposals for shielding the lakes from the invasive fish, which have infested the Mississippi River watershed. Scientists say if they become established in the lakes, they could crowd out prized native species.
Scientists and engineers in the region are working on the problem. But the state wants to inspire creative thinkers worldwide to offer innovative solutions.
Officials will accept proposals in any phase of development, from concept to design to field-tested models.
Written proposals will be accepted through Oct. 31. One or more winners will share up to $700,000 in cash awards.
Ancient human remains found in Coshocton Co.
COSHOCTON — Authorities say human remains found by a man in Ohio are estimated to be hundreds of years old.
The Coshocton County Sheriff’s Office says a coroner has concluded the remains found June 21 in a field above Mohawk Dam are approximately 900 years old.
A man hunting for arrowheads found the remains and called authorities. The county coroner determined the bones were human and had been at the site for an extended period of time.
The sheriff’s office says detectives and agents from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation excavated the site and removed the remains to the Licking County Coroner’s Office for further investigation.
An analysis recently determined the estimated age of the bones.
UD hoops player jailed
DAYTON — Police say a University of Dayton basketball player got into a fight with another inmate at a county jail after he was picked up on a charge of underage drinking.
Police say Sam Miller, a 20-year-old junior forward for the Flyers, was taken to the Greene County jail Sunday after being thrown out of a Beavercreek bar.
A police report says Miller could be seen on surveillance video confronting another inmate at the jail and slapping him. The other inmate threw several punches, knocking Miller to the ground before deputies arrived. Miller was taken to a hospital for evaluation.
Miller is charged with misdemeanor assault. His lawyer declined to comment on Tuesday.
The school says it cannot comment due to privacy laws.
Dying woman wanted milkshake from Cleveland
CLEVELAND HEIGHTS — An Ohio native in hospice care in Virginia had a dying wish fulfilled last month — one last mocha milkshake from a popular suburban Cleveland restaurant.
Fifty-year-old Emily Pomeranz died Friday of pancreatic cancer. With help from a friend in Virginia and the longtime owner of Tommy’s in Cleveland Heights, the shake arrived four days earlier.
A photo of a smiling Pomeranz holding the shake and the “The Milkshake Mission” story have traveled much farther than the drink’s 375-mile trip.
Restaurant owner Tommy Fello initially wasn’t sure how it could be accomplished after getting a call from Pomeranz’s friend Sam Klein. Fello made it work, packing the shake in dry ice and shipping it overnight.
Fello says the photo of Pomeranz proves giving is better than receiving.
