Columbus Police, fire department and emergency response updates
COLUMBUS: The plan was simple enough. Drive to the old workplace in the dark, slip through the gate, fill up some containers with fuel, and disappear before anyone noticed. It did not go that way for William Bush. Bush, 31, now faces a felony arson charge after surveillance cameras captured what investigators say was a … Read more
COLUMBUS Multiple apartment units were damaged in an early morning fire Sunday in southeast Columbus, forcing residents from their homes, fire officials said. Crews with the Columbus Division of Fire responded around 1 a.m. to a building on Hartlow Drive, where flames were visible from outside the structure upon arrival. Firefighters worked for several hours … Read more
COLUMBUS, The Ohio House Judiciary Committee heard a second round of testimony Wednesday on a bill that would restrict certain drag and gender-based performances to adult venues, drawing sharp disagreement from both supporters and opponents at the Ohio Statehouse in downtown Columbus. House Bill 249, formally called the “Indecent Exposure Modernization Act,” is sponsored by … Read more
COLUMBUS A new Ohio law named after a Reynoldsburg girl who was mauled by two pit bulls takes effect today, bringing tougher penalties for owners of dangerous and vicious dogs across Ohio including Franklin County. Avery’s Law, formally known as House Bill 247, was signed into law after Avery Russell of Reynoldsburg spent a month … Read more
COLUMBUS The podcaster whose relationship with former Ohio State University President Ted Carter triggered his resignation secured $60,000 from JobsOhio for a podcast that produced just one episode and signed a nearly $94,000 production agreement with WOSU Public Media, according to newly released public records. The documents give the clearest picture yet of how deeply … Read more
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Plumbing professionals in the Columbus area are urging homeowners to check their sump pumps after severe storms caused power outages across parts of central Ohio this weekend. Strong thunderstorms moved through the region Saturday and knocked out electricity for thousands of customers in Pickaway County and Fairfield County. Because most sump pumps … Read more
The Ohio Senate is considering legislation that would create a statewide emergency alert system for missing children with autism and other developmental disabilities, a proposal that previously passed the Ohio House unanimously. House Bill 359 would establish what lawmakers are calling a “Joshua Alert,” a notification system designed to quickly alert the public when a … Read more
COLUMBUS — What started as reports of threats at five Central Ohio schools Wednesday morning turned out to be part of a much larger wave of hoax threats that hit school districts across Ohio, from Cleveland and Toledo in the north to Cincinnati and Dayton in the south. The FBI said it found no credible … Read more
DELAWARE COUNTY — Jacob A. Smith, 50, a Columbus Division of Police officer, was arrested Saturday in Delaware County and charged with felony strangulation and illegal possession of a firearm in a liquor permit premises after he allegedly strangled his girlfriend twice outside a Polaris-area restaurant, according to court records.Smith was arraigned in Delaware County … Read more
The SUV was moving at high speed when it clipped a sign pole, sending the sign crashing onto the roof before the vehicle rolled into a parking lot. The driver fled on foot and remains unidentified. Columbus police are asking the public to help. A driver fled on foot after a Ford Edge rolled multiple … Read more