Latest news with #PatrickHeringer
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Downtown, Over-the-Rhine see drop in some crimes in last month but yearly totals remain up
Crime data released Aug. 11 shows short-term improvements in Downtown, but Over-the-Rhine is still struggling with property crime and homicides. Month over month, Downtown saw a 26% reduction in serious violent crime and property crime, from a total of 129 to 96 offenses. However, yearly totals still show a 48% increase compared to 2024, from 482 to 715. Over-the-Rhine saw a 4% increase in serious violent and property crime month over month, from 94 to 98 offenses. The neighborhood saw a 38% increase for the year, from 465 to 644 offenses. A spike in violent crime in Cincinnati's urban core was revealed in the wake of the killing of Over-the-Rhine business owner Patrick Heringer. His wife claimed the city was putting optics over outcomes when it came to policing. Since then, Cincinnati police have launched a roving task force, a drone program, more visible patrols and several other programs aimed at increasing safety in the neighborhoods where residents come to work and visit for entertainment: Downtown and Over-the-Rhine. More: City leaders say crime is 'stabilizing' as criminals take notice of new police task force Year to date, most crime categories are still elevated in both Downtown and Over-the-Rhine. As of Aug. 9, there had been eight homicides in Over-the-Rhine compared to just three last year. Robberies are up 60% in Downtown but down over 7% in Over-the-Rhine. Aggravated assaults are up 47% in Downtown but down 21% in Over-the-Rhine. While this year was worse than last year, there have been recent reductions, particularly in Downtown. Comparing the beginning of the summer, June 15 to July 12, to the middle of the summer, July 13 to Aug. 9, shows improvements: Slightly fewer robberies, aggravated assaults and auto thefts in Downtown from a total of 22 offenses to 17. A 75% reduction in burglaries Downtown from 12 to 3. A 34% reduction in thefts from vehicles Downtown from 62 to 41. A 54% reduction in auto thefts in Over-the-Rhine from 13 to 6. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Downtown crime down month over month, OTR sees increase in violence
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Yahoo
Bond upped to $5 million for man accused of stabbing Patrick Heringer during home break-in
Bond was increased to $5 million for the man accused of fatally stabbing Patrick Heringer in his Over-the-Rhine home earlier this month. Mordecia Black, 38, is accused of killing Heringer, 46, during an early-morning home burglary June 4. Black entered the home, attacked Heringer's wife Sarah and then stabbed Patrick Heringer after he tried to protect her, Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor Elyse Deters said during an arraignment June 18. Deters said surveillance camera footage showed Black exit the home after the murder. Deters argued that Black's "complete disregard for the law" throughout his adult life – all but one year of which has been spent in prison – posed a significant risk for the community. Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Robert Winkler hiked Black's bond from $2.25 million to $5 million, one of the highest bonds set in Hamilton County in recent years. In 2019, a Hamilton County judge set bond at $5 million for a priest accused of raping an altar boy decades earlier. Before that, a bond of $10.6 million was set in 2006 for a couple accused of killing their foster child. Black's attorney Chris Collman said the bond continues to be beyond any amount Black would be able to pay. In January, Black completed a nine-and-a-half-year prison sentence and was under state supervision in a halfway house with an ankle monitor, officials said. He went missing and cut off the ankle monitor in February, officials said. By May, Cincinnati police said he was involved in another burglary. And in June, prosecutors say he killed Heringer. Deters said the killing might not have happened had Black not "slipped through the cracks." "Why was Mordecia Black out?" Deters asked during the hearing. "There is no question that if Mordecia Black is released, he will hurt more people and kill more people." Black began getting into trouble with the law when he was 13. Before turning 18, Black had 27 different cases in Hamilton County Juvenile Court, most of which were for violating court orders such as curfew, but also included charges of assault, receiving stolen property and carrying a gun. He spent nine months in a youth prison in two separate stints. Since turning 18, Black has spent 19 of his 20 years as an adult in prison, Deters said. In 2006, Black was convicted twice for selling crack, serving six months in one case and 13 months in the other. More: Ohio officials: Police should have seen warrant for man accused in OTR gym owner stabbing A year later, when he was 20, Black had his first lengthy sentence, serving seven years for a robbery that happened in Northern Kentucky. Then, in 2012, he was arrested for selling heroin, leading police on a chase and trying to ditch his firearm as he ran. He was sentenced to two years in prison. Most recently, he served nine and a half years after beating a man on Government Square following a concert in 2016. Since Heringer's death, Sarah Heringer has become an outspoken critic of a system and a city she said failed her husband. She has called for more police officers to be hired and increased visibility of those officers. She has also said that Black should not have been on the streets. Her words have already made a difference. Last week, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction changed its policy. In addition to issuing a warrant when a person jumps probation, the agency will now also directly notify local law enforcement. Heringer, a decorated Army veteran, and his wife ran Findlay Movement across from the namesake market. They have been a steady presence in the community since founding their first gym in the area over a decade ago. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Mordecia Black bond increased to $5 million in Over-the-Rhine stabbing
