Ohio headlines

EAST CLEVELAND

School on lockdown after shot fired nearby

A school near Cleveland was put on security lockdown after a gun was fired at a nearby church funeral. There were no immediate reports of anyone hurt.

Chambers Elementary School in East Cleveland was put on lockdown about 10:45 a.m. Friday.

East Cleveland Mayor Gary Norton tells WEWS-TV the funeral at Omega Baptist Church three blocks from the school was being held for the victim of an unsolved killing. A shot was fired inside.

Police are searching for the gunman.

CINCINNATI

School offers veterans job-hunting help

Veterans seeking jobs will get help communicating their abilities to potential civilian employers at a workshop in southwest Ohio.

The University of Cincinnati says the one-day workshop Saturday at the school’s Career Development Center in the University Pavilion is open to veterans from Cincinnati and the surrounding region and to their dependents.

UC says the aim is to help veterans find better ways of translating skills acquired in the military so potential employers can see how they can apply to civilian jobs. Veterans say military skills like leadership and problem-solving can also be assets in civilian workplaces. But they often have trouble knowing how to get that across to potential employers.

The workshop also will include strategies to use when seeking federal employment and tips for improving resumes.

OTTAWA

Ex-coach, teacher in convicted of sex crimes

A former high school volleyball coach in northwest Ohio could be sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of several sex crimes involving students.

Prosecutors say the former teacher and coach had sex with one girl and touched several others inappropriately. They say he was known as “Creeper” among the girls.

Jurors convicted 42-year-old Jeremy Stober on Thursday of sexual battery, gross sexual imposition and importuning. He’ll be sentenced in a few weeks.

Stober denied the allegations. His attorney told The Lima News that Stober used bad judgment by texting the girls but maintained there was no proof he committed any crimes.

Five former students testified against him, including some of his former volleyball players. Some girls say he sent them thousands of texts.

COLUMBUS

Court rules against board in closed meetings

A county magistrate has ruled that the Columbus Board of Education can’t legally close their meetings to the public simply by having an attorney in the room and claiming attorney-client privilege.

The Columbus Dispatch had challenged the assertion, saying the board was circumventing Ohio’s open meetings laws as members discussed the ongoing attendance data scrubbing scandal.

A Franklin County Common Pleas Court magistrate ruled Thursday that the board must stop such meetings.

The newspaper reports that the school board used the tactic to close seven meetings last year.

The board’s attorney said it was considering all its options.

The case is continuing on several questions, including whether the board can close its meetings by citing other exceptions in the law.

CIRCLEVILLE

Jury acquits woman who ran over boyfriend

A jury has found a central Ohio woman not guilty of aggravated vehicular homicide after she ran over and killed her boyfriend in their driveway during a heated argument in 2011.

The jury in Circleville, south of Columbus, reached its verdict Thursday following the trial of 39-year-old Holly Patterson.

Prosecutors said Patterson disregarded the safety of her fiance Robert Kelly as she sped down the long driveway as he was running beside her. She said she was fleeing from him following a violent outburst.

The Circleville Herald reports that Patterson contended that the windows of the vehicle were still foggy when she accidentally ran over the 36-year-old Kelly while trying to get away from him.

The jury deliberated about an hour and 15 minutes before reaching the verdict.

AKRON

Victim’s son testifies in Craigslist trial

Jurors in Ohio have heard testimony from a man about how his father planned to reply to a Craigslist ad that prosecutors say led to his slaying in 2011.

The testimony came Thursday in the Akron trial of 53-year-old Richard Beasley. He’s accused of killing three men lured by phony Craigslist job postings.

The Akron Beacon Journal reports that Nicholas Kern testified that his father, Timothy Kern, was finalizing plans to take a job as caretaker of a large farm in Noble County.

Timothy Kern was found shot to death in the woods behind an Akron mall where authorities say he met Beasley to talk to about the job.

Beasley has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and kidnapping charges.

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