Latest news with #AllenCountySheriff'sOffice
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
Bluffton man, Lima woman arrested in child porn probe
May 20—TOLEDO — A Bluffton man and Lima woman have been charged in federal district court on charges related to online child pornography activities. Kris Shoemaker, 64, of Bluffton, and Grace Miller, 42, of Lima, were arrested earlier this month by the U.S. Marshals Service after a special agent from the FBI received cyber-tips related to the receipt and distribution of child sexual abuse material. According to records from the U.S. District Court for Northern Ohio, FBI special agent Caleb E. Williams on March 17 received tips from Yahoo Inc. and Facebook related to the receipt and distribution of child sexual abuse material. One tip led investigators to an approximately 39-second video, which depicts an 8- to 10-year-old female nude from the waist down, touching her genitals and then masturbating. That video was traced to an account linked to Shoemaker. On May 8, members of the FBI and Allen County Sheriff's Office executed a federal search warrant for Shoemaker's residence at 124 W. Jefferson St., Bluffton. Shoemaker was interviewed at the scene, submitted to a polygraph and subsequently admitted to engaging in child pornography activity online. He identified Miller as his current girlfriend and one of the women he distributed child pornography to, according to court documents. On that same date, Miller was interviewed by detectives from the Allen County Sheriff's Office. She reportedly admitted to taking pictures of an 8-year-old female's breasts and genitals and sending them to Shoemaker. She stated she sent the images and videos to Shoemaker via Facebook Messenger. She told investigators she began taking and sending him the images and videos approximately seven months ago, and she took them at her residence in Lima, according to court documents.. Shoemaker's cell phone was seized during the execution of the search warrant and was found to contain numerous sexual images involving minors. Shoemaker was arrested on charges of receipt and distribution of child pornography. Miller was taken into custody on a charge of sexual exploitation of a minor related to the production of child pornography. Both Shoemaker and Miller waived their rights to a preliminary hearing in federal court. No further hearings have been scheduled at this time. Shoemaker was convicted in 1982 of voluntary manslaughter, in 1991 of carrying a concealed weapon and in 1992 of attempted gross sexual imposition involving a 12-year-old female. Shoemaker is no longer required to register as a sex offender, according to court documents. Featured Local Savings
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Juror harassment alleged in Page trial
May 15—LIMA — The jury trial of Leroy Page, charged with kidnapping and assaulting two Allen County residents after breaking into their Fraunfelter Road home more than two years ago, was put on pause briefly Thursday after it was learned that two jurors in the case believe they had been followed home the previous evening. The jurists reported, independently of each other, to the court bailiff upon returning from Thursday's lunch break that they felt they had been followed. Allen County Common Pleas Court Judge Terri Kohlrieser spoke with the female jurors in her chambers, separately, and said each gave detailed descriptions of the vehicles involved but could not identify the race nor gender of the drivers. "They did give enough detail that I believe they believe they were followed," Kohlrieser said. She noted that one juror lived "off the beaten path" in a rural area of the county. The judge then brought the women into the courtroom individually to question them further. Each jurist said they believed they could continue to serve on the case and vowed to be fair and impartial. Kohlrieser said she checked with officials at the Allen County Sheriff's Office to see if police officers had escorted the women home on Wednesday. She was assured that no such directive had been issued. The judge did, however, issue her own warning to everyone inside the courtroom on Thursday. "It is a potential crime to follow a juror home," she said. "If I find out anyone did that, you will be held in contempt of court, and I will ask the authorities to bring criminal charges against you. I will not tolerate anyone messing with the jurors." Testimony comes slowly Testimony in the case on Thursday came primarily from law enforcement officers who responded to the Fraunfelter Road home of Dianna and Benjamin Shelton, near the intersection of West Elm Street, in the early morning hours of Oct. 30, 2022. That is where Page is alleged to have crashed a vehicle he was driving after leading Lima police officers on a pursuit that prosecutors say exceeded 120 miles per hour earlier that night. Jurors listened to body microphone footage from Sgt. Matthew Gill of the Allen County Sheriff's Office, who interviewed the homeowners a short time after the incident. Gill told Benjamin Shelton that Lima police were "99% certain they know" who had broken into the residence. That tentative identification came after Page had fled from Lima police officers earlier in the evening. Jurors listened as the officer showed Shelton a photo he said was taken from Page's Facebook profile. "That's him," Shelton is heard saying in reference to the couple's attacker. DNA links Page to scene Shelton told Gill that both he and his wife had been beaten by Page and that Dianna Shelton "got it worse than I did." The woman told jurors on Wednesday she suffered multiple facial fractures, a broken nose, a concussion, severely lacerated lip and other bruises at the hands of Page. She said the attacker struck her and her husband repeatedly over a span of several hours before forcing them to drive him to the intersection of Breese and Yoakam roads in Shawnee Township. Gill testified that Lima police officials were aware Page resided at a nearby home on Red Bud Lane. A search warrant was executed at that location later that morning, but Page was not located. It was later learned that Page fled the area. He was arrested nearly two years later in Nevada. Deputy Jerry Cress, an identification officer with the Allen County Sheriff's Office, testified Thursday that he obtained DNA samples from the Dodge Ram pickup truck used by the Shelton couple to transport Page to the Shawnee Township location. Testimony later in the day from Devonie Herdeman, a forensic scientist in the DNA section of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, revealed that Page's DNA was discovered on the armrest in the rear driver's side seat of the pickup. DNA taken from various locations inside the Shelton's home contained insufficient data from which to draw a match, Herdeman said. Acting as his own attorney, Page drew rebukes from Judge Terri Kohlrieser on more than one occasion Thursday for his line of questioning. At one point the judge instructed Page to "stop testifying and ask a question." Page, 34, is facing felony charges that include having weapons under disability, improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle, failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer, aggravated burglary, two counts of kidnapping and two counts of felonious assault in connection with the Oct. 30, 2022, incident. Testimony in the trial will continue Friday. Featured Local Savings
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Yahoo
Alcohol believed to be a factor in Saturday crash
Apr. 1—LIMA — A Lima man was injured Saturday when his vehicle left the roadway and overturned in Shawnee Township. According to a report from the Allen County Sheriff's Office, a 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier driven by Austin Owsley, 27, was southbound on Fort Amanda Road near the Cenovus refinery Saturday at 4:53 p.m. when the vehicle left the roadway, struck a concrete block on the ground and flipped upside down. Owsley was transported to Mercy Health-St. Rita's Medical Center with what were described as suspected serious injuries. According to the report, alcohol was believed to be a contributing factor in the accident. Featured Local Savings
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Yahoo
Black community urged to stand against discrimination
Mar. 11—LIMA — Following a third incident of alleged racial discrimination in and around Lima in nearly as many months, the local chapter of the NAACP is urging Blacks and other minorities to stand up for their constitutional rights. Chapter President Ron Fails called a press conference Tuesday to address the most recent incident of alleged discrimination. He called Raymond Spears, a retired member of the Black community and a veteran of the U.S. armed services, to the podium. Spears told of an incident he recently experienced at a Speedway gas station in Elida. Spears said he was declined service by a young, white woman for no apparent reason. "She said I was being rude and told me I was not getting gas at the station. She told me to get off the property or she would call the police," Spears said. "And I knew I hadn't done anything wrong." So Spears called the police himself. Officers from the Elida Police Department and the Allen County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene, "and they couldn't have been more respectful to me," he said. Spears then reached out to the NAACP and Fails, who in turn reached out to the gas station's district corporate office. "We filed a discrimination notice and let them know what happened," Fails said. "We felt it was better to expose the situation than to just walk away." Two previous incidents of racial discrimination were addressed by Fails. In one instance, a Black female pastor who had been subjected to racial taunts took her complaints to Lima City Council. In another incident at a gas station at the intersection of Pine and Kibby streets, a Black customer who was subjected to verbal abuse opted for a different response and became physical with the station employee. Criminal charges resulted. Fails said that type of reaction is not the way he hopes the Black community will handle racial discrimination. In the Elida case, he said Speedway has been asked to adopt mandatory diversity training for its employees, "and if the corporation does not respond we may be forced to boycott Speedway stations." While violence is never the answer, the NAACP president said, neither is simply giving up. "Walking away is something we (Blacks) have done all our lives. If we continue to walk away, will our kids have to walk away as well? Walking away is never the answer," Fails said. "This behavior (exhibited at a few local businesses) is unacceptable. If we don't stand together, we participate in the disrespect of all of us." Featured Local Savings
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Authorities in Southeast Kansas investigate multiple weather-related crashes
ALLEN COUNTY, Kan. — Multiple weather-related crashes are being evaluated by Allen County authorities. According to a press release, the Allen County Sheriff's Office is in the process of investigating two crashes, that sent one person to the hospital. Emergency crews responded to a one-vehicle rollover at 6:00 a.m. on February 5, south of Iola on Old U.S. Highway 169. The vehicle, a 2000 Jeep Wrangler, overturned after the vehicle lost traction on the icy bridge. The driver of the Jeep, a 28-year-old, told first responders his seat belt might have just saved his life. Less than two hours later (shortly after 7:30 a.m.), crews responded to another crash on the Highway 169 overpass at the Highway 54 junction. A collision between two vehicles, a Ford Explorer and a Nissan Altima, resulted in what you see in the image above. The driver of the Ford Explorer lost control as they crossed the bridge and veered into oncoming traffic. The driver of the Nissan Altima struck the Explorer. Emergency crews used the Jaws of Life to remove the driver of the Altima. That driver, who only received minor injuries, was also wearing a seatbelt. Allen County officials say EMS transported the driver of the Explorer to a local hospital with unknown injuries. Related: Mechanics share winter driving advice for slick roads Allen County Sheriff Anthony Maness, reminds drivers to always be cautious, especially on elevated roadways and bridges. When temperatures are around freezing, and wet, bridges always freeze first. Maness says he again saw 'first-hand the effectiveness of seatbelts and airbags in reducing injuries and saving lives.' You might remember some of the icy conditions we received in January. A reminder that being cautious in dangerous conditions can both save lives and keep emergency crews available for response. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
