Latest news with #FranklinCountyCourtofCommonPleas
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Victim found dead on Columbus railroad tracks allegedly said if anything happened to him, ‘Felisa did it'
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A woman arrested in connection to a 2021 cold case homicide in which a man was found lying naked on west Columbus railroad tracks was in court Friday. According to court documents, Felisa Rogers, charged in the murder of 31-year-old Aaron Collymore, was issued a $500,000 bond in Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Friday morning. Rogers, 44, was assigned a public defender to represent her in the death of Collymore, who was found unresponsive when police were called to Sullivant Avenue on January 14, 2021. Man surrenders to police SWAT unit after woman shot in east Columbus Officers arrived near the South Yale Avenue intersection in Franklinton and found Collymore lying naked on railroad tracks with a wooden stake driven through his heart. Columbus police said that he was beaten prior to finding him. Watch previous coverage in the player above. The investigation tied Rogers and 25-year-old Aaron Brown to a 2013 Buick Enclave, Collymore's vehicle, which was driven to the area of the tracks before he was carried up an embankment and placed on the tracks. The suspects then reportedly stripped Collymore of his clothes and left the scene at about 9 a.m. He was found just over an hour later. Detectives collected evidence from the scene, video surveillance, and DNA, including blood samples from the rear passenger seat of the Buick. At Friday's hearing prosecuting attorneys said that the investigation showed Rogers in possession of the Buick, which was reportedly used to dump the body. Carpeting and other flooring from inside were allegedly cut out from the vehicle. Collymore had reportedly told his friends that if anything had happened to him, 'Felisa did it.' Rogers, who pleaded not guilty, is facing two counts of aggravated murder, two counts of murder, two counts of tampering with evidence and one charge of kidnapping. On May 13, Rogers was issued a $3 million bond on Tuesday in Franklin County Municipal Court. Brown was arrested the following day in Winston Salem, North Carolina. He is listed as a wanted fugitive and awaits extradition back to Franklin County. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Yahoo
Man pleads guilty to murder after southwest Columbus road rage shooting
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A man accused of fatally shooting a teenager after a road rage incident in southwest Columbus pleaded guilty Thursday in court to murder charges. Skyler Burley changed his plea from not guilty in Franklin County Court of Common Pleas and attorneys agreed on a life in prison sentence with the possibility of parole after 18 years. Burley, 30, shot 17-year-old Gage Anderson on Aug. 13, 2024, in a United Dairy Farmers parking lot on Clime Road. Anderson was taken to an area hospital in critical condition but was later pronounced dead at 8:40 p.m. Witnesses told police a vehicle had left the scene and a CPD helicopter quickly located the vehicle in question. Officers stopped Burley at the intersection of Lynward Road and Maurine Drive where he was taken into custody. Troopers hunting for pickup truck that struck 2-year-old boy in Jackson County Police said the shooting stemmed from a road rage incident after the victim's father said Burley got out of his black Kia and shot his son. Court documents stated that Burley told police he shot Anderson in self-defense after the two exchanged words before Anderson lunged at him. Burley, who was charged with murder, aggravated murder and tampering with evidence, pleaded to one count of murder with a firearm specification. Members of Anderson's family spoke on the tragedy of his death, while Burley also offered his apologies before the judge handed down the sentence. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Appeals court partially overturns Ohio ban on transgender care for minors
An Ohio appeals court declared Tuesday that a portion of a 2023 law banning gender-affirming medical care for minors is unconstitutional, ruling that a lower court erred in deciding the law does not infringe on the rights of parents or violate parts of the state's constitution. A three-judge panel for Ohio's 10th District Court of Appeals reversed an August judgment that allowed House Bill 68 to take effect after a district court temporarily halted the measure's enforcement last spring. The ruling sends the case back to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. The law, which Republican Gov. Mike DeWine initially vetoed before Ohio's GOP-led Legislature voted to override him, bans transition-related care, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy, for minors. It also bars transgender student-athletes from joining girls' and women's sports teams. Two 12-year-old transgender girls, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), its Ohio affiliate and the law firm Goodwin, sued the state in March 2024, arguing that House Bill 68's health care restrictions put their and other trans youths' health and well-being 'at risk of severe and irreversible harm.' DeWine, in vetoing the bill, said similarly that his decision was 'about protecting human life.' 'Many parents have told me that their child would not have survived — would be dead today — if they had not received the treatment they received from one of Ohio's children's hospitals,' he said at the time. A January 2024 executive order signed by DeWine bans gender-affirming surgeries for minors in Ohio. Tuesday's ruling again prevents House Bill 68's restrictions on gender-affirming care from taking effect. The plaintiffs in their appeal did not challenge the law's prohibition on surgical care and have not claimed they would be harmed by its restrictions on school sports. 'This win restores the right of trans youth in Ohio to choose vitally important health care, with the support of their families and physicians. We are gratified by the Court's decision, which soundly rejects this interference of politicians with Ohioans' bodily autonomy,' said Freda Levenson, legal director at the ACLU of Ohio. 'Although this litigation will likely not end here, we remain fervently committed to preventing this egregious bill from ever again taking effect.' Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R) said he plans to appeal the court's decision. 'This is a no brainer — we are appealing that decision and will seek an immediate stay. There is no way I'll stop fighting to protect these unprotected children,' he said in a statement. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
18-03-2025
- Health
- The Hill
Appeals court partially overturns Ohio ban on transgender care for minors
An Ohio appeals court declared Tuesday that a portion of a 2023 law banning gender-affirming medical care for minors is unconstitutional, ruling that a lower court erred in deciding the law does not infringe on the rights of parents or violate parts of the state's constitution. A three-judge panel for Ohio's 10th District Court of Appeals reversed an August judgment that allowed House Bill 68 to take effect after a district court temporarily halted the measure's enforcement last spring. The ruling sends the case back to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. The law, which Republican Gov. Mike DeWine initially vetoed before Ohio's GOP-led legislature voted to override him, bans transition-related care, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy, for minors. It also bars transgender student-athletes from joining girls' and women's sports teams. Two 12-year-old transgender girls, backed by the ACLU, its Ohio affiliate and the law firm Goodwin, sued the state in March 2024, arguing that House Bill 68's health care restrictions put their and other trans youths' health and well-being 'at risk of severe and irreversible harm.' DeWine, in vetoing the bill, said similarly that his decision was 'about protecting human life.' 'Many parents have told me that their child would not have survived — would be dead today — if they had not received the treatment they received from one of Ohio's children's hospitals,' he said at the time. A January 2024 executive order signed by DeWine bans gender-affirming surgeries for minors in Ohio. Tuesday's ruling again prevents House Bill 68's restrictions on gender-affirming care from taking effect. The plaintiffs in their appeal did not challenge the law's prohibition on surgical care and have not claimed they would be harmed by its restrictions on school sports. 'This win restores the right of trans youth in Ohio to choose vitally important health care, with the support of their families and physicians. We are gratified by the Court's decision, which soundly rejects this interference of politicians with Ohioans' bodily autonomy,' said Freda Levenson, legal director at the ACLU of Ohio. 'Although this litigation will likely not end here, we remain fervently committed to preventing this egregious bill from ever again taking effect.' Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R) said he plans to appeal the court's decision. 'This is a no brainer — we are appealing that decision and will seek an immediate stay. There is no way I'll stop fighting to protect these unprotected children,' he said in a statement.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Franklin County court restricts immigration enforcement to protect due process
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Franklin County Court of Common Pleas issued two new rules limiting immigration enforcement to protect the court's procedures. The court's general division issued two new rules Friday prohibiting immigration arrests within the courthouse grounds and courtrooms. The court said these rules are designed to protect due process and access to justice for victims, witnesses and defendants. 'Courts have a unique Constitutional responsibility to protect due process and access tojustice on behalf of the entire public,' the courts announced. 'That mission is jeopardized when victims, witnesses and defendants are afraid to come to the courthouse to testify and participate in ongoing cases, fearing civil arrest and deportation from courthouse grounds.' Columbus' On The Border closes without notice to employees and customers The first rule, Local Rule 111, prohibits civil arrests without a judicial warrant on courthouse grounds. The court said Ohio law has barred civil arrests of plaintiffs, defendants and witnesses coming to and from court, but Local Rule 111 clarifies they are also not permitted on courthouse property. The second, Local Rule 112, prohibits arrests by judicial warrant within courtrooms and bans court personnel from asking about an individual's immigration status or assisting immigration enforcement. These rules are not applicable when there is written approval from a judge or when it is necessary for official court proceedings. The rules come as President Donald Trump cracks down on immigration nationally. Columbus leaders have said they will comply with federal requirements but will not compromise the city's resources or mission to be welcoming in doing so. Federal agencies continue immigration detainments, however, charging and arresting at least four people in central Ohio with immigration violations this week alone. Both rules were enacted on an interim emergency basis, the court said, so they will be offered for traditional notice and comment within 90 days. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
