Latest news with #Pillich
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Man refuses to pay $500 veterinarian fee, strangles his dog
A man is facing charges after he refused to pay $500 to euthanize his elderly dog and strangled the dog instead. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Richard North, 59, of East Price Hill, was indicted Monday on a felony animal cruelty charge for strangling his dog, according to Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich. According to the statement from Pillich, North brought his elderly dog, Tinkerbell, to the Animal Hospital of Delhi Hills on May 23. The veterinarian told North that the dog needed to be euthanized and quoted Orth a price of $500. TRENDING STORIES: Officers looking for man, woman last seen at Troy Aquatic Park Bodies of 3 sisters found after visit with their father; Court records reveal likely cause of death 61-year-old woman dead after motorcycle crash in Preble Co., OSHP says The animal hospital staff left the room to prepare the medication, and Orth strangled Tinkerbell, according to the statement. Orth was heard on audio from the room saying, 'Go be with God. I won't let you suffer. $500 is highway robbery.' The dog had suffered injuries to its neck and throat and had to be euthanized. 'There's no excuse for what happened here. Our office is committed to holding those accountable who harm animals,' Pillich said. Orth faces up to a year in prison. Hamilton County jail records indicate that Orth is being held under a $500 bond for the charge of prohibitions concerning companion animals. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What will the new Bengals stadium negotiators cost Hamilton County?
Hamilton County has new lawyers to represent the taxpayers' interests in negotiations over Paycor Stadium renovations, with higher hourly rates. The Hamilton County Commissioners unanimously voted May 15 to replace Tom Gabelman as special project counsel for Paycor negotiations and riverfront developments with attorneys from Dinsmore and Shohl. They also voted to replace Gabelman in negotiations for the Great American Ballpark lease with the law firm of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease. Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich supported the move, saying the county had been "treading water" in negotiations on Paycor. Gabelman had been representing the county in stadium talks for nearly 30 years. After the county terminated its contract with him, he resigned as a partner with Frost Brown Todd. Gabelman noted that the new lawyers' rates were nearly twice his rate at the commissioners' meeting and in a memo he released after the meeting. Gabelman charged the county $250 an hour, which was a discount. He told The Enquirer in 2019 that his usual rate was $560 an hour. In 2019, Gabelman estimated that Frost Brown Todd had received $21 million from the county in legal fees over 22 years. Pillich said the rate for Dinsmore partners will be $450 an hour, and $250 for its staff attorneys. When handling work on the Reds ballpark, partners with Vorys will make $425 an hour and staff attorneys will make $250. Pillich told reporters May 15 that she thinks the costs will wash out given the scope of the work and the fact that staff attorneys are billing at the same rate as Gabelman. She noted that the rates for the new law firms are also discounted. "I think that the law firms we recommended and the commissioners chose, I just think they've got an economy of scale based on how their offices are set up and based upon their national reputations. So I'm assuming they will work faster," she said. Pillich said her primary concern was ensuring the county is in a position to more forward with the stadiums and with riverfront development. "That's a huge part of our economic engine in this county and I want to make make sure they have the best tools available to them to make the decisions they need to make," she said. Regional politics reporter Erin Glynn can be reached at eglynn@ @ee_glynn on X or @eringlynn on Bluesky. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What the new Paycor Stadium lawyers will cost Hamilton County
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Firm backs up police's response, de-escalation to neo-Nazi demonstration near Cincinnati
A consulting firm hired to review Evendale's response to a neo-Nazi demonstration near Cincinnati earlier this year widely backed up their officer's actions, saying police did the most they could to keep the situation from turning violent. In a report from Illinois-based 21CP Solutions, released to media ahead of a 1 p.m. news conference May 28, the firm praised Evendale officers for making a number of in-the-moment decisions that "displayed excellent de-escalation skills." "Without threats or harsh words, and without weapons or force, the officers quelled the chaotic situation by ordering the demonstrators to leave and asking, almost pleading with the community to retreat," the firm wrote in the report. On Feb. 7, swastika-waving, armed demonstrators set up on an overpass on the border of Evendale and neighboring Lincoln Heights, yelling racial slurs at passerbys. A group of people, including Lincoln Heights residents, confronted the demonstrators, prompting them to flee in the back of a U-Haul. Evendale faced sharp criticism from Hamilton County commissioners and Lincoln Heights residents following the demonstration. Concerns were raised over why the white supremacists were allowed to leave without any citations or arrests by police. The firm generally supported what Evendale police and Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey have said since the demonstration: The demonstrators were exercising their free speech and acting within the bounds of the law. An Ohio law that prohibits passengers from riding in the back of a truck does not appear to apply to this situation, the firm said. One section of the law prohibits riding in unenclosed cargo areas, while the U-Haul demonstrators left in was enclosed. Another section of the law prohibits riding in an enclosed cargo area if the tailgate is unlatched, but the demonstrators were seen closing the door when leaving the overpass, the firm said. Still, the firm recommended Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich review the actions of the demonstrators for possible charges. Pillich said in February an internal task force of attorneys were reviewing the incident. The Enquirer has reached out to Pillich's office to ask about the status of her investigation. The firm did fault a few of the department's actions, notably an Evendale supervisor's decision to pull into the parking lot of a Lockland school building within minutes of elementary school students being dismissed. The 10-year supervisor told the firm he thought the building was a church and was not aware it had been repurposed as a school. "He indicated then that stopping there was a mistake, and he expressed extreme regret in making this mistake," the firm wrote. More: Body cam shows how Evendale police reacted to white supremacist protest Nearly all of the firm's eight recommendations for improvement to Evendale centered around getting more experience and training for the 19-officer department. Body camera footage released after the demonstration showed police disagreed about the tactics and people were immediately frustrated with the response. It also showed what led to an Evendale police officer driving a demonstrator back to the site in an attempt to retrieve his "service animal," a dog, from a nearby car. In the wake of the protest, Lincoln Heights residents took arms to defend their neighborhood, establishing their own armed neighborhood watch. The watch caught an infamous Kentucky Klansman who police said was littering "hate flyers" throughout the neighborhood. More: Armed men are guarding the streets of Lincoln Heights, stopping cars and vetting passersby The man, later found guilty during an outlandish trial, was ordered to pay a $149 fine. As of May 27, he has not paid and has been referred to collections, according to court records. Lincoln Heights' neighborhood watch is still active, but the encounters with Klansmen and other concerns have died down, said Daronce Daniels, neighborhood watch spokesman and community activist. 21CP Solutions--Independent Investigation After-Action Review of Police Response to Events of February 7 20... by dferrara on Scribd This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Report backs up Evendale police response to neo-Nazis near Cincinnati
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Yahoo
Joe Burrow home burglary suspects now face state charges
Three men now face state charges in connection with last year's burglary at the Ohio home of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, prosecutors announced Wednesday. The suspects were indicted on charges of first-degree felony engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and second-degree felony burglary, Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich said. The prosecutor's office released photos of the stolen items -- including jewelry, cash and commemorative memorabilia -- including some showing the suspects posing with the NFL star's jewelry, Pillich said. MORE: Suspects in burglary at Joe Burrow's house posed with his stolen jewelry: Complaint The defendants -- Jordan Francisco Quiroga Sanchez, Bastian Alejandro Orellana Morales and Sergio Andres Ortega Cabello -- already faced federal charges in connection with the burglary at Burrow's home: interstate transportation of stolen property and falsification of records. The three men are believed to be citizens of Chile who arrived in the United States legally under a visa-free program, according to Pillich. "They appear to be involved in multiple thefts and burglaries in many jurisdictions, and they are far from the only individuals who do this sort of work," she said during a press briefing Wednesday. Pillich suggested that other members of the alleged crime ring may still be at large. "I think it's very possible they have connections," she warned. "People should be concerned." A fourth man seen in a photo posing with the burglary suspects and the stolen items was not present at Burrow's home at the time of the burglary and was not charged in the indictment, Pillich said. MORE: FBI issues warning about burglaries of pro athletes' homes Burrow was playing in a Monday Night Football game in Dallas when his Anderson Township home was burglarized on Dec. 9, 2024. Burrow had security personnel at the home, but the men avoided them by entering through the woods, according to federal prosecutors. Approximately $300,000 worth of designer luggage, glasses, wristwatches and jewelry were stolen from the residence, according to federal prosecutors. Authorities had tracked a cellphone number and license plate believed to be tied to the burglary to a hotel in Fairborn, Ohio. They surveilled the rented vehicle linked to the license plate before pulling it over for a traffic violation on Jan. 10 in Clark County, Ohio, according to federal prosecutors. An old LSU shirt and Bengals hat believed to have been stolen from Burrow's home were also found in the vehicle, federal prosecutors said. An analysis of one of the suspect's phone "revealed multiple photographs that had been taken of items believed to be stolen" from Burrow's residence, according to the federal complaint. Many of these photographs were deleted during the traffic stop, according to the federal complaint. It is unclear if the suspects have attorneys at this time. Pillich said there is a. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer on the suspects, "so even if they post bail they're not going anywhere." Joe Burrow home burglary suspects now face state charges originally appeared on
