Latest news with #Pepple
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Shortage of lawyers concerns local jurists
Mar. 30—LIMA — "Justice delayed isn't justice at all," said Dennis Kerber, magistrate in the domestic relations division of Allen County Common Pleas Court and president of the Allen County Bar Association, when asked about a statewide shortage of attorneys that is becoming increasingly noticeable locally. According to a recent statement from the Ohio Bar Association, rural communities face a growing crisis as legal needs are going unmet due to a statewide attorney shortage. The legal needs of many residents are going unhandled in areas that include child custody, real estate disputes, consumer fraud or defending against criminal charges, according to the state bar. Mary Amos Augsburger, chief executive officer of the Ohio Bar, testified in early March before the Ohio House Finance Committee to urge continued state funding for programs that help fill this gap. The group is advocating for the expansion of the Rural Practice Incentive Program, which provides loan repayment assistance to attorneys who practice in underserved areas, and continued funding and expanded eligibility to attract more lawyers to these communities. The need is real Auglaize County Common Pleas Court Judge Frederick Pepple answered with an emphatic "yes" when asked if a shortage of attorneys is affecting courtrooms in that county. "Just look at the size of our bar," Pepple said of the shrinking number of local attorneys. "The practice of law has become less attractive in recent years, and fewer people are going to law school. Those who do graduate are increasingly choosing to live in larger metropolitan areas." The Ohio Bar says a ratio of one lawyer for every 700 residents is ideal for rural counties. Using that formula, Auglaize County would need nearly 65 practicing attorneys to keep pace. Pepple said state lawmakers could ease the current shortage by changing one key state mandate. "The General Assembly statutes don't allow a deputy public defender from one county to help out other counties when a conflict of interest arises. That needs to change," Pepple said. According to Kerber, who became a magistrate in the local court in 1998, membership in the Allen County Bar Association currently stands at around 175 and is on the decline. Some members are willing to take court-appointed assignments, but many are not. "Back in the 90s we had maybe 40 attorneys that were willing and eager to take court-appointed work. Now there might be a half-dozen. And their workload is increasing greatly due to the smaller pool of attorneys we can pick from," Kerber said. "The numbers of attorneys are definitely declining, and the reasons are varied," he said. "Becoming a lawyer is an expensive undertaking, and attending law school is a stressful time. In our bar, we are seeing members that are getting a little older and taking on less work. All of the courts in the county are flexible in working with the available attorneys and trying to accommodate their schedules." Cost-prohibitive? Allen County Common Pleas Court Judge Terri Kohlrieser agreed that the current economic climate nationwide may be making a law degree less attractive than it once was. "What I'm seeing is that the current educational crisis, especially when it comes to student loans, is having an effect on the number of attorneys out there. It's expensive to get a law degree — like $25,000 to $30,000 annually. And that's just tuition. And it's not as easy to get student loans as it once was," the judge said. Kohlrieser is an adjunct professor at Ohio Northern University. When walking the halls of the law school, she sees class photos of graduating classes through the years. "My class had about 82 graduates," she said. "Now class sizes are down to about 25. Small towns and rural areas across the state are seeing a crisis. Private practice in a small town is hard work. You end up taking all kinds of cases just to make ends meet, and it can get overwhelming." Kohlrieser agreed the pool of attorneys willing to take court-appointed assignments is dwindling significantly. "I have maybe three attorneys I can reach out to ... then I have to go searching," she said. Why come here? Lima Municipal Court Judge John Payne came to Lima from Youngstown, and he's glad he did. But Payne is uncertain how many new attorneys will follow that path. "I've been blessed to be in Lima, but unless you're from Lima, why would you come here?" Payne said. "I think a lot of new graduates are heading to the larger metropolitan areas. They can probably make more money, but I'm not sure they're taking into account the high cost of living." In the mean time, the pool of local attorneys is contracting due to retirements and deaths. "I've got about six people who are willing to take court appointments," Payne said. "And even those take a lot of urging." Payne was happy to report that the poorest of Allen County residents are suffering the least, even as local attorney numbers decline. "I think we have the best public defender representation we've ever had. The full-time county public defenders office is representing indigent clients very adequately. I think it's the best it's ever been," Payne said. In that vein, Kohlrieser gave a shout out to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who she said has "really tried to make indigent defense a priority." But without enough lawyers, people will still struggle to navigate the legal system, according to the state bar association. "This shortage doesn't just inconvenience Ohioans — it denies them their legal rights," Augsburger said. Featured Local Savings
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
Injunction ordered against Auglaize County fish and gun club
Mar. 6—WAPAKONETA — A shooting range at the Auglaize Fish and Game sportsman's club has been ordered shut down immediately and is to remain closed until such time as numerous improvements to the club grounds and revisions to and documented enforcement of safety regulations are in place. Auglaize County Common Pleas Court Judge Frederick Pepple issued a 10-page ruling to that effect Wednesday following a one-day trial to the court earlier in the week. Brent and Janet Christler filed a civil lawsuit in October of last year asking that a temporary or permanent injunction be issued against the fish and game club, whose property at 15408 Wapak-Fisher Road abuts land owned by the Christlers. The couple claimed that on multiple instances since 1998 stray bullets or projectiles from the club either struck their home or passed close to the occupants. The suit further alleged the fish and gun club violated Ohio law by failing to comply with safety guidelines generally recognized and accepted by the National Rifle Association After hearing nearly nine hours of testimony on Monday, Pepple ruled in favor of the Chrislter couple. A journal entry of the case stated that the Auglaize Fish and Game Protective Association "is hereby enjoined from operation of its shooting range ... and in order to continue operation of its shooting range must make and maintain" numerous changes as a condition of its continued use. The judge required the following amendments to the club's safety plan, including: —Members must log in and log out with dates, times and full names and addresses of all persons with them each time they use the range; —Members who bring guests must agree to be responsible that those guests not fire any weapons; —The club must enforce those and other safety rules; —The club must make all of its records available to the Auglaize County Sheriff's Office upon request; —The club shall, within 30 days of the judge's ruling, request the chief of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Division of Wildlife, to inspect the side berm of the shooting range and correct any deficiencies to gain compliance with the NRA Range Source Book. The court is to be notified once the berm is in compliance. The fish and game club must permanently comply with the requirements and amend as applicable its shooting range or cease use of its range until such compliance is attained. Regulations lacking Pepple said the club's safety plan "fails to clearly identify penalties, sanctions or consequences for violation of range rules." He said there was no provision in place to ensure members were aware of a safety plan or had be required to read such a plan before using the range. Janet Christler testified during the trial the couple filed their lawsuit after prosecutors said there was no criminal remedy. "I had a new grandbaby living at my house and I told my husband we needed to do something. He contacted the (Auglaize County) prosecutor's office and was told there was nothing they could do and that it was a civil matter," she testified. Citing existing case law in a similar incident, Pepple said an injunction was warranted because the plaintiffs have proven by clear and substantial evidence" that the fish and game club was operating its shooting range "without being in substantial compliance" with the Ohio Administrative Code. "Such negligent operation ... has prevented the plaintiffs from fully enjoying the use of their residential property and, unless the nuisance is abated, will continue to cause such injury...." Tannerite addressed Also addressed by the judge's ruling was the alleged presence of tannerite on club grounds. According to a report from the Auglaize Couty Sheriiff's Office, on Dec. 26, 2024, shooters on the fish and game club grounds illegally used tannerite, an explosive material designed to be placed behind a target and explode if the target is hit. Pepple said testimony indicated an explosion could be heard a quarter of a mile away that day. Club members denied knowledge that anyone had used the substance on club property, but deputies investigating the scene "corroborated witness accounts of a loud explosion" and said tannerite residue was found at the scene. Pepple, in his ruling, said he found claims of club members to be "not credible." The Christlers were represented at trial by St. Marys attorney Zach Ferrall. Wapakoneta attorney Matthew Kentner served as legal counsel for the sportsman club. In his closing statements, Ferrall said the presence of firearms demanded that the club be carefully scrutinized. "This is a fish and game club. We as a public require the club to have high standards for something so potentially dangerous," Ferrall said. "The only solution for my clients is for shooting at that range to stop." Featured Local Savings
