News Briefs Abduction attempt reported Tuesday
The Hancock County Sheriff's Office is investigating an alleged abduction attempt in a western Findlay subdivision.
A sheriff's deputy said he was called to Dold Drive, near Liberty-Benton High School, just before 5 p.m. Tuesday after a girl reported a suspicious man had followed her and eventually chased her.
The girl was able to get away without being harmed.
Details are still preliminary, but officials said the man was described as being about 6 feet tall with an average build. He looked to be in his 60s and had red hair, deputies said.
Deputies searching the area found no one matching that description.
Man sentenced for two felonies
A Findlay man was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for two felony convictions.
Brett M. Ardelean, 21, trespassed at 1112 Crystal Ave. in Findlay, when the resident was present, to commit a theft on Dec. 9.
Ardelean also admitted concealing a .40-caliber handgun in the city on Oct. 22.
The burglary charge is a second-degree felony, and the carrying a concealed weapon charge is a fourth-degree felony.
Hancock County Common Pleas Judge Joseph Niemeyer sentenced Ardelean on Monday to serve four years in prison for the burglary conviction and 11 months for the weapon violation.
The gun was forfeited to the Findlay Police Department, Prosecutor Mark Miller said.
Continental man arrested for holdup
OTTAWA -- A Continental man has been arrested for an armed robbery at an Ottawa tobacco shop.
Maurice Harsh II, 24, was charged with aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony, for allegedly using a handgun to rob Cut Rate Tobacco, 820 N. Locust St., on Friday.
A robbery that same day in Defiance may have been committed by the same individual, Assistant Putnam County Prosecutor Todd Schroeder said.
Harsh is being held on $100,000 bond and requested a court-appointed attorney, Schroeder said.
Police said the robber in Ottawa escaped with an undetermined amount of money and tobacco items valued at $134.
Surveillance cameras videotaped the holdup.
Ottawa man gets 5-year sentence
OTTAWA -- An Ottawa man was sentenced to five years in prison for stabbing a Columbus Grove resident in the abdomen.
Joshua A. Morman, 41, was convicted of felonious assault, a second-degree felony, for stabbing Shawn Ward on Nov. 3 in Columbus Grove.
Ward did not suffer life-threatening injuries, according to police.
Morman appeared in Putnam County Common Pleas Court and said he mistakenly believed Ward possessed a knife at the time.
Putnam County Common Pleas Judge Randall Basinger disputed this claim, and cited five other instances of charges being filed against Morman for threats or violence.
Morman was credited with 194 days served in jail.
Lima Ave. crash injures motorist
A rural Findlay resident was hurt in a two-vehicle crash on Lima Avenue at 4:46 p.m. Monday.
James Kelley, 24, was taken to Blanchard Valley Hospital, which released no information on his condition Tuesday.
According to the Findlay Police Department, Kelley was driving an Eagle Talon on Byal Avenue when he failed to stop at a stop sign and collided with a vehicle traveling on Lima Avenue.
Police said Kelley's car hit the side of a trailer being pulled by a Chevy truck driven by Kyle Heitmeyer, 27, of Findlay.
Kelley was cited for failing to yield from a stop sign and having a suspended license.
The Findlay Fire Department assisted at the scene.
Hydrant flushing
The Findlay Water Distribution Department will be flushing hydrants today from the Blanchard River south to West Hobart Avenue, from South Main Street west to the corporation limit, from West Edgar Avenue south to the corporation limit, and from South Main Street west to Western Avenue.
'Fun with Fossils' topic of program
Rikki Youngpeter, a Hancock Park District program assistant, will present a program on "Fun with Fossils" at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Discovery Center in Oakwoods Nature Preserve.
The program is for children 6 to 9 years old with an adult.
Registration, with a $3 per child fee, is due by Wednesday at the park district office, 1424 E. Main Cross St.
For more information, call the park district, 419-425-7275.
Program planned on lily family
An open house featuring a program on members of the lily family will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Discovery Center in Oakwoods Nature Preserve.
For more information, call the Hancock Park District office at 419-425-7275.
Program planned on homeschooling
"So You Think You Know the Library," a program specifically designed for homeschooling parents, will be held from 6:30-7:30 p.m. May 22 in the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library's Lindamood Room.
Home-school parents are invited to take an in-depth look at the library's resources.
Registration is not required.
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