Latest news with #Gmoser
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Man killed in Middletown police shooting identified
May 28—Investigators Wednesday continued their investigation into a Middletown police officer-involved shooting that killed a man and injured a woman Tuesday morning at a home on Garden Avenue. Michael Anthony Baker Jr., 47, of Middletown was the man killed by police, according the Butler County Coroner's Office. The police officers involved in the shooting have not been identified by the Middletown Police Department, citing Marsy's Law. They have been placed on paid administrative leave. The incident occurred around 7:20 a.m. during the execution of a search warrant by police officers during a drug investigation. No officers were injured in the shooting in the 900 block of Garden Avenue, according to investigators, and the investigation has been turned over to Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Daniel Hils of Frontline Advisors, which represents the Middletown Fraternal Order of Police, said officers made "numerous" announcements on who they were before breaching the door. Baker came to the door and allegedly pointed a handgun at the police officers when he was shot, according to Hils. "Being involved in something like this is not in anybody's plan, and nobody wants to face that type of life and death situation," Hils said. There were other search warrants that were happening in and out of Middletown and more may be coming, Hils said. A woman in the house was injured from bullet shrapnel to her ankle, according to Hils. She was taken to the hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. Garden Avenue was blocked off by police tape between Woodside Boulevard and Pine Street for more than 10 hours on Tuesday. Spencer Kidd, a neighbor, told the Journal-News he heard three gunshots after observing officers conducting the search warrant. "I was hoping nobody was hurt, but that's obviously not the case now," Kidd said. BCI will complete an independent review of the circumstances, according to Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser. The investigation will then be transferred to Gmoser, who will present evidence to the Butler County Grand Jury. "I applaud Chief Nelson for getting BCI involved," Gmoser said. This is an ongoing investigation, and more details are to come, including the name of injured woman and body cam footage, which will not be released until the case has been presented to Grand Jury. This is the third police-involved shooting in Middletown since February 2023. A Butler County grand jury declined to issue any criminal charges against a Middletown police officer who fatally shot a man who opened an apartment door holding a gun on Christmas Eve 2024 at Olde Towne Apartment complex. Christopher Gorak, 50, died of multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Butler County Coroner's Office. Investigation of the incident indicates Gorak was also "heavily intoxicated," according to the county prosecutor's office. "(The grand jury) determined that no indictment alleging criminal conduct against any involved officer should be issued and that the death of Christopher Gorak was justified," Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser said. In April 2023, Middletown police responded to the same apartment complex when they were shot at by a suspect. They returned fire and hit the suspect, wounding the man. Kyle Kellum recovered, was indicted for felonious assault involving a police officer, but found to be not guilty by reason of insanity following a bench trial in common pleas court. In February 2023, Middletown police shot and killed a man who pointed a weapon at them in the parking lot of the Walmart on Towne Boulevard. No charges were filed against the two Middletown officers in the deadly shooting. The officers' use of deadly force in the Feb. 25 shooting of 47-year-old Victor Lykins was deemed reasonable by the Warren County Prosecutor's Office, Prosecutor David Fornshell announced after reviewing investigation results. In Morrow County on Monday, a sheriff's deputy, Daniel Weston Sherrer, 31, was shot and killed after responding to a domestic situation call, according to Morrow County Sheriffs Office in Mt. Gilead, Ohio. "Our county is a closely-tied community which has always supported its law enforcement agencies and that backing is evident during this time of grief," a statement read. The subject was also shot and was transported to a hospital in serious condition. The incident remains an active investigation.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Man killed in Middletown police shooting identified
May 28—Investigators Wednesday continued their investigation into a Middletown police officer-involved shooting that killed a man and injured a woman Tuesday morning at a home on Garden Avenue. Michael Anthony Baker Jr., 47, of Middletown was the man killed by police, according the Butler County Coroner's Office. The police officers involved in the shooting have not been identified by the Middletown Police Department, citing Marsy's Law. They have been placed on paid administrative leave. The incident occurred around 7:20 a.m. during the execution of a search warrant by police officers during a drug investigation. No officers were injured in the shooting in the 900 block of Garden Avenue, according to investigators, and the investigation has been turned over to Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Daniel Hils of Frontline Advisors, which represents the Middletown Fraternal Order of Police, said officers made "numerous" announcements on who they were before breaching the door. Baker came to the door and allegedly pointed a handgun at the police officers when he was shot, according to Hils. "Being involved in something like this is not in anybody's plan, and nobody wants to face that type of life and death situation," Hils said. There were other search warrants that were happening in and out of Middletown and more may be coming, Hils said. A woman in the house was injured from bullet shrapnel to her ankle, according to Hils. She was taken to the hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. Garden Avenue was blocked off by police tape between Woodside Boulevard and Pine Street for more than 10 hours on Tuesday. Spencer Kidd, a neighbor, told the Journal-News he heard three gunshots after observing officers conducting the search warrant. "I was hoping nobody was hurt, but that's obviously not the case now," Kidd said. BCI will complete an independent review of the circumstances, according to Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser. The investigation will then be transferred to Gmoser, who will present evidence to the Butler County Grand Jury. "I applaud Chief Nelson for getting BCI involved," Gmoser said. This is an ongoing investigation, and more details are to come, including the name of injured woman and body cam footage, which will not be released until the case has been presented to Grand Jury. This is the third police-involved shooting in Middletown since February 2023. A Butler County grand jury declined to issue any criminal charges against a Middletown police officer who fatally shot a man who opened an apartment door holding a gun on Christmas Eve 2024 at Olde Towne Apartment complex. Christopher Gorak, 50, died of multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Butler County Coroner's Office. Investigation of the incident indicates Gorak was also "heavily intoxicated," according to the county prosecutor's office. "(The grand jury) determined that no indictment alleging criminal conduct against any involved officer should be issued and that the death of Christopher Gorak was justified," Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser said. In April 2023, Middletown police responded to the same apartment complex when they were shot at by a suspect. They returned fire and hit the suspect, wounding the man. Kyle Kellum recovered, was indicted for felonious assault involving a police officer, but found to be not guilty by reason of insanity following a bench trial in common pleas court. In February 2023, Middletown police shot and killed a man who pointed a weapon at them in the parking lot of the Walmart on Towne Boulevard. No charges were filed against the two Middletown officers in the deadly shooting. The officers' use of deadly force in the Feb. 25 shooting of 47-year-old Victor Lykins was deemed reasonable by the Warren County Prosecutor's Office, Prosecutor David Fornshell announced after reviewing investigation results. In Morrow County on Monday, a sheriff's deputy, Daniel Weston Sherrer, 31, was shot and killed after responding to a domestic situation call, according to Morrow County Sheriffs Office in Mt. Gilead, Ohio. "Our county is a closely-tied community which has always supported its law enforcement agencies and that backing is evident during this time of grief," a statement read. The subject was also shot and was transported to a hospital in serious condition. The incident remains an active investigation.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Yahoo
He puts murderers behind bars in Butler County. Then goes home to write crime novels
"This woman was stabbed." Butler County Prosecutor Michael "Mike" Gmoser reads matter-of-factly from a crime novel he wrote. In his office in Hamilton, Gmoser narrates the scene after criminals posing as paramedics recover a pregnant woman from a car crash, abduct her, force her into an ambulance and cut her baby out of her. A doctor later arrives to find that the woman was stabbed with a scalpel. Gmoser has been Butler County's prosecutor for 14 consecutive years. He and his staff of assistants present criminal cases against defendants and advocate for victims, among other duties. They've seen some brutal cases. Gmoser prosecuted Daniel French, who was found guilty of aggravated murder in the 2012 killing of an 87-year-old woman living in a Monroe retirement community. French slit Barbara Howe's throat, stripped off her clothes, cut her hair, poured chemicals on her body and left her crumpled in the trunk of her car in Middletown. Gmoser also prosecuted a Lebanon man who was convicted this year after he ordered the execution-style killing of Asiah Slone, whose body was found in a trash can in Middletown. After Gmoser's workday prosecuting real-life criminals, the 79-year-old goes home to write about fictional cases of murder and kidnapping. He isn't some creep obsessed with murder or the stereotypical aloof writer. Gmoser is outgoing and chatty. He jokes that the only thing silent about him is the letter "G" in his name. His blue eyes light up when he recounts stories from his countless interests (flying airplanes, paragliding, to name a couple). And a conversation with him is often punctuated by his friendly laughter. He's long been interested in writing books, especially given his experience as a trial lawyer who seeks to accurately tell the story of a crime. Gmoser has completed two books so far. The section Gmoser is reading aloud in his office is from his second book, "Spencer's Law," published in 2021. He wrote his first, "The Farrier's Son," a few years earlier. Both books follow Spencer Tallbridge, a man who becomes the fictional Rutledge County prosecutor, as he uncovers the truth in criminal cases. Spencer, in part, is inspired by Gmoser's own life. The bookshelves in Gmoser's office are lined with framed pictures. There's a photo of him in a 1958 Corvette he fixed up. Another photo shows him and a Beechcraft Bonanza, the high-performance, single-engine aircraft he flies. One is of Gmoser and his late wife, Olga Gmoser, both with large smiles. "She could never find anything bad about anybody," he says. "If we ever had much of an argument − which I can't say that we really did – it was over somebody that I thought was a miserable S.O.B., and she could find something good to say about them," he added with a laugh. Olga died from cancer in 2014. When Gmoser was recovering from losing her, he turned to creative pursuits. He started playing drums to fill the quiet in his house. He also began weaving the threads of a book plot in his head. Two years later, with the entire book outlined in his mind, he began writing "The Farrier's Son." On Gmoser's laptop (which he calls his "typewriter"), he created the story of Spencer Tallbridge, then an assistant prosecutor who wanted to prove that a convicted man facing the death penalty was indeed guilty of murder. One of Gmoser's friends had connections with a publisher, Winged Hussar Publishing, which expressed interest in Gmoser's book. It was published in 2017. The plot was based on evidence from cases and personalities in his life, he says. Gmoser hasn't worked on cases that are the same as those in his books. But, aspects of the overall fictional narratives are based in reality. For example, Gmoser got the idea to have criminals cut a baby out of a pregnant woman from a news report in Chicago. The plot in "The Farrier's Son" was inspired by an interview novelist John Grisham gave on TV. A theme in both books – the strong influence of a father – is also drawn from Gmoser's life. Gmoser says his father, Al Gmoser, exemplified confident decision-making. Gmoser proudly shared a story of when his father was a United Airlines captain. He was a "brilliant aviator," his son says. In the early 1950s, Gmoser's father was flying from New York to Chicago and saw bad weather coming in. He called dispatch and said he was going to deviate from the path and land in Michigan. Dispatch pushed back and told Gmoser's father that other planes were still flying into Chicago. Gmoser says his father replied: "I'm not. I'm not going to chance it. There's a tornado coming. And I'm not going to kill these people." Dispatch said, "Well, you're going to have to answer for that." He said, "I'll answer for that." According to Gmoser, his father and passengers landed, but the other guy didn't. He was torn apart by a tornado. Everybody was killed. "Having that type of authoritative demeanor was something I learned from my father," he says. For Spencer to have the same experience felt right to Gmoser. Spencer's father is a farrier, or someone who shoes horses. He taught Spencer the "country wisdom" the assistant prosecutor uses to navigate cases. In "Spencer's Law," Spencer is now the county prosecutor and struggles to navigate a moral dilemma, so he calls his father. Spencer has to decide whether to assault an FBI agent he believes is crooked to potentially save the kidnapped baby. If he's wrong, and the FBI agent isn't a crook, Spencer would be in big legal trouble. His father encourages Spencer to make his own decision but reminds him, "The real measure of a man is not what he acquires or the comfort of his life. The measure is how well he can live with himself with the decisions he makes." Ultimately, Spencer's decision pays off for him. Gmoser tells anyone interested in writing books to write what you know. "Live the roles of the people in your universe," he says. Given that Gmoser has been a defense attorney, assistant prosecutor and county prosecutor – like Spencer Tallbridge − one could say he has. He also recommends being involved in as many disciplines as you can, saying it's "fertile ground" for ideas. Gmoser lives this truth. He does scuba diving, deep-sea fishing, paragliding and beekeeping. He was previously a medical malpractice lawyer. And of course, he flies planes. Much of this feeds into his writing. He draws on his extensive medical knowledge during the ambulance scene with Alice. His aviation knowledge is key in a riveting scene in "Spencer's Law." And he understands how the legal system works. With all these hobbies (and his legal career), one might ask: What does he plan to do when he retires? Well, Gmoser says with a smile, he doesn't plan on retiring anytime soon. But he does plan to keep writing. He pulls a thumb drive out from his desk drawer, and a wide grin spreads across his face. He says, "This is the third book." This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Butler County prosecutor Michael Gmoser moonlights as a crime novelist
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Yahoo
No jail for ex-West Chester Twp. officer who pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence
Feb. 24—A former West Chester Twp. police officer who admitted she tampered with evidence in a death investigation was placed on community control Monday avoiding any jail time, according to officials Michelle Berling, 46, was indicted in October on two counts of tampering with evidence and one count of tampering with records, all third-degree felonies, and unauthorized use of property, a fifth-degree felony. According to the grand jury report, the crimes, investigated by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, occurred between Aug. 8 and Aug. 13. Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser said Berling altered Flock camera data and images involving the death investigation of a woman in June on Schumacher Park Drive. Berling also misused the department's Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway (OHLEG) to gather information for personal use, Gmoser said. In January, Berling pleaded guilty to one tampering charge, a third-degree felony, and the others were dismissed in exchange for the plea. Butler County Common Pleas Judge Kelly Heile sentenced Berling to five years community control. She faced a maximum of 36 months in prison. Berling has been free on her own recognizance. "She panicked and did the wrong thing for self preservation purposes. It potentially hurt an investigation; we will never know for sure," Gmoser said in January after he plea. "That is the charge I would not reduce (or dismiss)." Berling was placed on paid administrative leave and was suspended of all police duties in August when the investigation began, according to the township. She later resigned.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Yahoo
No jail time for ex-West Chester Twp. police officer who plead guilty to tampering with evidence
Feb. 24—A former West Chester Twp. police officer who admitted she tampered with evidence in a death investigation was placed on community control Monday avoiding any jail time, according to officials Michelle Berling, 46, was indicted in October on two counts of tampering with evidence and one count of tampering with records, all third-degree felonies, and unauthorized use of property, a fifth-degree felony. According to the grand jury report, the crimes, investigated by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, occurred between Aug. 8 and Aug. 13. Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser said Berling altered Flock camera data and images involving the death investigation of a woman in June on Schumacher Park Drive. Berling also misused the department's Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway (OHLEG) to gather information for personal use, Gmoser said. In January, Berling pleaded guilty to one tampering charge, a third-degree felony, and the others were dismissed in exchange for the plea. Butler County Common Pleas Judge Kelly Heile sentenced Berling to five years community control. She faced a maximum of 36 months in prison. Berling has been free on her own recognizance. "She panicked and did the wrong thing for self preservation purposes. It potentially hurt an investigation; we will never know for sure," Gmoser said in January after he plea. "That is the charge I would not reduce (or dismiss)." Berling was placed on paid administrative leave and was suspended of all police duties in August when the investigation began, according to the township. She later resigned.
