FriJan27

No verdict yet in party raid case against Widmer detective

Posted by rrichardson January 27th, 2012, 5:29 pm Post a Comment
Hamilton Twp. Police Lt. Det. Jeff Braley

Former Hamilton Twp. Lt. Det. Jeff Braley testifies in the murder trial of Ryan Widmer, who last lived in Mason. Braley, who resigned from the department, is now embroiled in a non-related civil suit. File photo

Update
The jury has found police in Hamilton Township illegally conspired to raid a party and violated residents’ rights.

MasonBuzz will update this story.

Janice Morse reports:

A federal court jury has told a judge it will continue working into the evening, after 10 hours of deliberations.

The jury, which is considering whether police in Hamilton Township illegally raided a party and violated residents’ rights, began with two hours of deliberations Thursday.

At last check late this afternoon, jurors had deliberated another eight hours without reaching a verdict.

Residents Mary and Ted Pritchard sued Hamilton Township officers, alleging that officers raided an adult birthday party on their property in 2007 under false pretenses, assuming the Pritchards were throwing an underage drinking bash.

After a half-dozen checks on the property revealed no violations, a police lieutenant asked one of his subordinates to have his wife make a phone call from her home in another county and report that she heard loud noise coming from the block where the Pritchards live. After that call, nearly two dozen officers eventually swarmed the property.

The Pritchards later learned about the call from an anonymous letter, possibly from an honest police officer troubled by that call, their lawyer said.

Police deny any wrongdoing; their lawyer says they were just trying to do their jobs and there was no conspiracy to raid the property.

Two of the Pritchards’ partygoers also sued the police, alleging false arrest. Their charges were eventually dismissed but both had to hire lawyers.

Zachary Christman was then 18 and was charged with underage consumption even though he was drinking under his father’s supervision on private property, which is allowed under Ohio law.

Kevin Clark, then 21, was arrested for disorderly conduct after he used his cell phone to check a text message after an officer ordered him to stop using his phone to videotape the raid.

The plaintiffs have not specified an amount of monetary damages they are seeking.

The defendants in the case include the estate of the now-deceased Hamilton Township police chief, Frank Richardson, as well as a current officer, Lt. Phil Johnson and former officers Roger Gilbert and Jeff Braley.

Braley was then a detective lieutenant but resigned last year after controversy over his employment credentials surfaced in an offshoot from the Ryan Widmer murder case. Braley was the lead detective in that case, which ended with Widmer being convicted of murder in the 2008 bathtub drowning of his newlywed wife, Sarah, 24.

Widmer, who last lived in Mason, is now serving 15 years to life in prison.

Several of Widmer’s suppporters came to court to listen to Braley’s testimony and observe the trial, which began Monday.

no comments yet

Posted in: News, Widmer Trial |

Tags: Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Déjà 2 Consignment Furnishings open in Mason

Posted by rrichardson January 27th, 2012, 2:45 pm Post a Comment

Shauna Steigerwald reports:

Deja 2 Consignments

Déjà 2 Consignment Furnishings in Mason sells slightly used furniture, home decorations, accessories, wall decorations and framed art. (Provided photo)

Eda Stein has dreamed of opening her own shop since she immigrated to the United States from Italy 45 years ago. That dream became a reality earlier this month, when she opened Déjà 2 Consignment Furnishings at 12123 Montgomery Road in Mason.

At her 1,900-square-foot shop, Stein sells slightly used furnishings, plus home decorations, accessories, wall decorations and framed art. She’s looking for local artists to showcase their work at the store, too.

“We have unique pieces that you can’t find anywhere else,” she said of the shop’s offerings, which range from vintage to modern.

The shop is now accepting furnishings for consignment or purchase.

11 a.m.-5 p.m.Tuesday-Saturday; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday.

513-709-9700 or www.Deja2.com

no comments yet

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Mason man accused of child rape heads to court today

Posted by rrichardson January 27th, 2012, 12:02 pm Post a Comment
Jorge Velasquez

Jorge Velasquez: Warren County Jail

A Mason man accused of raping a child will appear in Warren County Common Pleas Court today.

A pretrial hearing is set for 2 p.m. for Jorge Velasquez,who’s charged with one count of rape for allegedly engaging in sexual conduct with a child who was “living separate and apart” from him and who was less than 13 years of age. Court documents list the age of the child as 9.

Velasquez, 33, has entered a plea of not guilty to the charges.   A two-day jury trial is set to begin Feb. 16 in Warren County Common Pleas Court.

The alleged crimes happened in Mason between August 2006 and December 2006, according to prosecutors. The charge, a first-degree felony, carries a penalty of up to life in prison.

Velasquez is being held at the Warren County Jail on a $500,000 surety bond. He is ordered not to have contact with minors under the age of 18 should he post bail.

no comments yet

Posted in: Crime, News |

Tags: Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

P&G profit beats expectations

Posted by rrichardson January 27th, 2012, 10:08 am Post a Comment
Mason Business Center

The Procter and Gamble Mason Business Center's presence in Southern Warren County is one the economic lynch pins of the area. The Enquirer/Craig Ruttle

Business segments headquartered at Procter & Gamble’s Mason Business Center are listed among corporate divisions that helped the company beat its profit expectations.

Cincinnati-based P&G announced 4 percent sales growth on Friday for its fiscal second quarter to $22.1 billion.

Core net earnings per share decreased 3 percent to $1.10. The company said higher commodity costs offset sales growth and cost-savings measures. Analysts surveyed by Reuters expected $1.08 per share.

Diluted net earnings per share were 57 cents per share, down 49 percent primarily due to non-core charges of 53 cents per share. The non-core charges included a one-time 50 cents per share non-cash impairment charge associated with the appliances and salon professional businesses.

“We continue to make progress against our key business priorities in a difficult macroeconomic environment,” said Bob McDonald, P&G’s chairman and chief executive officer in a statement.

“We delivered solid top-line growth and continued to accelerate productivity improvements to drive down costs. With the easing of commodity cost comparisons over the next two quarters, continued solid top-line growth and cost savings progress, we expect operating profit growth to accelerate in the second half of the fiscal year.”

Among P&G’s business segments:

- Beauty net sales increased 1 percent to $5.4 billion.

- Grooming net sales increased 1 percent to $2.2 billion.

- Health care net sales and organic sales increased 1 percent to $3.2 billion.

- Snacks and pet care net sales and organic sales increased 3 percent to $824 million.

- Fabric care and home care net sales and organic sales increased 5 percent to $6.6 billion.

- Baby care and family care net sales and organic sales increased 6 percent to $4.2 billion.

P&G’s Mason Business Center includes its pet care, pharmaceuticals and personal- and oral-care businesses.

The company said net sales are expected to increase 3-4 percent in fiscal 2012 and expects its core earnings per share at between $4 and $4.10. Organic sales are expected to increase 4-5 percent.

“Those numbers are slightly lower than our previous guidance, reflecting primarily foreign currencies,” chief financial officer Jon Moeller said in an interview with CNBC.

“Particularly emerging market currencies, whether it’s the Turkish lira or the Brazilian real, were weaker than we expected,”

For the fiscal third quarter, diluted net earnings per share are expected to be in the range of 81-87 cents per share, and core earnings per share in the range of 91-97 cents per share.

no comments yet

Posted in: Business, News, Uncategorized |

Tags: Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Sporadic snow no problem on roads

Posted by rrichardson January 27th, 2012, 8:40 am Post a Comment

Carrie Whitaker reports:

A little snow is reportedly falling in some parts of Greater Cincinnati this morning, but traffic is moving smoothly.

Temperatures are hovering just around freezing, so precipitation will switch back and forth from rain to snow until about 9 a.m., according to the National Weather Service office in Wilmington.

The snow is reportedly melting as it hits the ground and so far isn’t causing problems on regional roads.

Weather today will be mostly cloudy with a high around 42 degrees.

A chance for more rain and snow returns after 4 a.m. Saturday and continues into the day Saturday with as much as half an inch expected. Winds turn breezy Saturday too, with speeds forecast up to 21 mph.

Sunday again will be mostly cloudy and shouldn’t make it out of the 30s. Rain and snow flurries are forecast between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., but little accumulation.

A flood warning continues until Sunday for areas around the Great Miami River near Miamitown. Minor flooding has been reported to the National Weather Service there.

no comments yet

Posted in: News, Traffic, Weather |

Tags: Tags: , , , , ,

ThuJan26

Train to run a half-marathon at the Mason Community Center

Posted by rrichardson January 26th, 2012, 5:22 pm Post a Comment

A half-marathon-training program is taking off at the Mason Community Center.

Designed both for first-timers and experienced half-marathoners, the program meets from 10 – 11:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays from March 6 to April 26.

Community center coaches will guide runners in the eight-week program.  Cost is $75 for Premier members; $87 for Basic members; $109 for Mason residents and $131 for non-residents.  Marathon entry fee is additional.

Register online at www.imaginemason.org (activity #163531-02) or call the Mason Community Center at 513-229-8555.

no comments yet

Posted in: Events, Recreational events |

Tags: Tags: , , , , , , ,

Colerain shocks No. 3 Mason

Posted by rrichardson January 26th, 2012, 3:48 pm Post a Comment

The Enquirer reports:

Tied at 57 with eight seconds left in overtime, Colerain senior guard Sheaira Jones got an offensive rebound and hit the go-ahead shot to give the Cardinals, ranked No. 6 in the Enquirer coaches’ girls’ basketball poll, a 59-57 upset win over No. 3 Mason.

Jones scored 15 of her game high 18 points in the second half.

Read the Enquirer’s wrap-up of how other teams fared.

no comments yet

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Civil suit against Widmer detective goes to the jury

Posted by rrichardson January 26th, 2012, 2:28 pm Post a Comment
Hamilton Twp. Police Lt. Det. Jeff Braley

Former Hamilton Twp. Lt. Det. Jeff Braley testifies in the murder trial of Ryan Widmer, who last lived in Mason and was convicted in his third trial. Braley, who resigned from the department, is now embroiled in a non-related civil suit. File photo

Janice Morse reports:

A federal court jury is about to begin deliberating in the case of Warren County residents who accuse police of unlawfully raiding an adult birthday party, falsely arresting two partygoers and maliciously prosecuting them.

As of 1:30 p.m., Judge Susan J. Dlott was still providing jurors with detailed instructions as to how to decide the case under both state and federal laws. The trial began Monday in U.S. District Court, Cincinnati, over a party that happened four and a half years ago.

In their civil lawsuit, Hamilton Township residents Ted and Mary Pritchard and two young men who attended their 2007 party — Kevin Clark and Zach Christman — allege police conspired to raid the Pritchards’ party under false pretenses, then tried to cover-up their alleged wrongdoing. Judge Dlott has already ruled that Christman’s right against false arrest was violated under federal law, but the jury must decide whether his right against false arrest was violated under state law.

Wilson Weisenfelder, a lawyer defending Hamilton Township police, asked the jury to grant little or no monetary damages for Christman. Weisenfelder also argued that there was no evidence of a conspiracy or cover-up. He again repeated what he had told the jury in opening statements — that the case was about police trying to do their jobs.

Konrad Kircher, who represents the Pritchards, Clark and Christman, said that, for jurors to believe that, they would have to “ignore a mountain of contrary evidence.”

He said the Pritchards have a constitutional right to be free from unlawful intrusion of police on their premises — and that police concocted a scenario to try to justify going onto the Pritchards’ property. That included a bogus telephone report of loud noise coming from the property, which is located on an acre of land largely isolated from other homes, Kircher said.

A Hamilton Township officer’s wife, Gail Gilbert, who was then living in Butler County, miles away from the party location, called a dispatcher in Warren County and reported: “I hear a lot of yelling and screaming from the 10,000 block of Schlotmann (Road)…I’d rather remain anonymous…it sounds like a big-ol’ party or somethin’ goin’ on.”

Kircher told the jury that Mrs. Gilbert made the call after her husband’s supervisor, Lt. Phil Johnson, asked Officer Roger Gilbert to request the call be made. Kircher played a recording of call for the jury to hear and said, “I want you to ask yourselves: Is this a reluctant wallflower who doesn’t want to cooperate?” Kircher suggested Mrs. Gilbert was an enthusiastic participant in the alleged conspiracy, which could have helped advance her husband’s career if everything had gone as planned.

Read the rest of this entry »

no comments yet

Posted in: News, Widmer Trial |

Tags: Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mason teen inducted in French Honor Society

Posted by rrichardson January 26th, 2012, 1:25 pm Post a Comment

Kitty DiFalco of Mason is one of 19 students at St. Ursula Academy to be inducted into the French Honor Society.

Inductees must be enrolled in French IV or beyond and have at least a 3.75 GPA in French and 3.0 in other classes.

French Honor Society

Pictured from the top, from left, are Ashley Peterson of Anderson Township, Chrissy Spears of Monfort Heights, Taylor Linz of Anderson Township, Madison Girten of Eastgate, Mackenzie Himmelbauer of Anderson Township, Kathleen Coughlin of Anderson Township, Grace Liesch of Green Township, Ellen Cook of Mariemont, Abby Morgan of Pleasant Ridge, Kitty DiFalco of Mason, Katerina Settle of Hyde Park, Paige Frey of Hyde Park, Allie Stevens of Monfort Heights, Maria Moore of Miami Heights, Lauren McElroy of Hyde Park, teacher Kim Icsman, Kate Elson of Pierce Township and Dawn Thomas of Woodlawn. Not pictured are Emma Ciesick of Anderson Township and Camilla MacKenzie of Sycamore Township. Photo provided

Kitty DiFalco of Mason is one of 19 students at St. Ursula Academy to be inducted int the French Honor Society.

Inductees must be enrolled in French IV or beyond and have at least a 3.75 GPA in French and 3.0 in other classes.

no comments yet

Posted in: Schools, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: , , ,

Photos: iSpace visits the Primrose School

Posted by rrichardson January 26th, 2012, 12:13 pm Post a Comment
Kenzie Delanoy

Kindergartener Kenzie Delanoy and her classmates raise their arms to get into their pretend spacecuits during a presentation by iSPACE at the Primrose School in Symmes Township on Tuesday, January 24, 2012. The kids learned about living and working in outerspace. The Enquirer/Leigh Taylor

Representatives from iSpace, a science-based educational program, visited students at the Primrose School in neighboring Symmes Township this week.  Students learned about living and working in outer space.  The Enquirer’s Leigh Taylor was there to catch the buzz.  Click on each image to see a larger resolution version.

Iam Stoelb Caroline Horak iSpace presentation Johnny Cerjan Jacob Moore Kenzie Delanoy Lizzie Fleites
no comments yet

Posted in: Schools |

Tags: Tags: , , , , ,

Connect with MasonBuzz

Subscribe

Get community news delivered straight to your inbox.

Send us Photos

  • Attach a JPEG (.jpg) photo to your story. Maximum file size is 4 MB.
  • Add a caption, include names & communities of people pictured. (Caption limit: 500 characters, including spaces)

Recent Photos

Deja 2 Consignments Mason Business Center French Honor Society Jacob Moore Lizzie Fleites Kenzie Delanoy Johnny Cerjan iSpace presentation Caroline Horak
View more photos >