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November 2008 |
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By MATT NICHOLS
Staff Writer
A former Wapakoneta law enforcement officer’s future is now in the hands of seven state Supreme Court justices.
Former Wapakoneta Police Chief Dave Harrison’s 6-year-old sex crime case reached the pinnacle in Ohio’s court system Wednesday, as justices heard arguments from Harrison’s attorney Dean Boland and state prosecutor Scott Longo.
Each party had 15 minutes to present their case to the justices. After both attorneys argued their cases, a single word in Harrison’s sentencing entry and a grilling delivered to Longo by justice Maureen O’Connor left Boland optimistic about his client’s future.
In June, 2003, Harrison plead guilty to a six-count bill of information after child pornography was found on his computer. After entering his plea, the man who served as police chief from 1988 to 2002 was sentenced to one year in jail.
Seven months after he completed his sentence, it was discovered by county prosecutors that Harrison should have been sentenced with an additional five years of mandatory post release control, or probation.
During a court hearing, Harrison was given the option to either be re-sentenced or withdraw his plea. Harrison chose the latter, taking things back to square one.
With the plea withdrawn, the state of Ohio slapped Harrison with a 23-count indictment which he was ultimately found guilty of and sentenced to six years in prison.
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West Nile concerns health officials |
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Friday, 05 September 2008 |
By WILLIAM LANEY
Managing Editor
Confirmation of West Nile Virus in the area is concerning to local health officials, an Auglaize County health authority says, but all their advice to area residents is to remain vigilant.
Since West Nile Virus was first detected in the state in 2001, Auglaize County Health Commissioner Charlotte Parsons said county departments have been placed on alert by the state. She is more concerned now with a positive identification in Allen County.
“When we know it is this close, we just try to remind people to try to prevent contact with mosquitoes if at all possible,” Parsons told the Wapakoneta Daily News Friday in a telephone interview. “We don’t conduct any sprayings and I think most of the municipalities that do conduct sprayings are finished for the year.”
Parsons said the drier than normal conditions this year is keeping mosquito populations lower than in past years.
As of Sept. 2, there were 8,957 mosquito pools tested and 129 pools were positive, according to information from the Ohio Department of Health. There were 72 birds tested for West Nile Virus and seven were positive. There have been two human cases reported so far this year.
Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water, so the Ohio Department of Health advises residents to dispose of tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots, or similar water-holding containers, make sure roof gutters drain properly, clean and chlorinate swimming pools, outdoor saunas and hot tubs, drain water from pool covers, change the water in bird baths at least once a week and eliminate any standing water that collects on your property.
Parsons said she was surprised to hear of tests confirming its existence in Allen County.
“We haven’t had much in this area for several years,” Parsons said. “I was surprised it showed up because for the last few years there has been very little detected in the area and this side of the state.”
In the past four years, Auglaize County officials have reported two cases of West Nile Virus, both in humans in 2005 and 2006.
“We have not been trapping mosquitoes and sending them in because we do not have enough staff to do that along with everything else we are required to do,” Parsons said. “We get calls for dead birds and there are certain species we are required to send in, but we have not had any calls on dead birds this year.”
Allen County officials reported seven cases of West Nile Virus in animals in 2007, 14 cases, including two human cases in 2006, 4 cases in 2005 and 2 cases in 2004.
Between 2004 and 2007, Mercer County officials have reported only one case in 2006, and Shelby County officials reported two cases with one in 2005 and one human case in 2004.
Ohio health officials recorded the first human case of West Nile Virus in 2002. The number climbed to 441 human cases in 2002, declining to 23 human cases in the state in 2007.
Between 2002 and 2007, 47 Ohioans have died from West Nile Virus, with 31 fatalities in 2002.
Parsons confirmed the elderly and the young are most susceptible to getting sick from West Nile Virus.
“We know that it is in the state, it has been here for several years and we know it is around and mosquitoes carry it,” Parsons said. “The best thing to do is protect yourself and try to avoid being outside where mosquitoes are without having sprayed yourself with a repellant or with clothing covering your arms and legs.”
Symptoms of West Nile Virus vary widely from mild infections to serious disease that affects brain tissue.
Approximately one in 150 people infected with West Nile Virus develop a serious illness, which include symptoms of high fever, headache, coma, tremors, vision loss and paralysis.
Health Department figures show approximately 20 percent of the people have symptoms of fever, headache, body aches and vomiting. The infection last from a few days to several weeks.
Approximately 80 percent of the people infected with West Nile Virus exhibit no symptoms at all.
The county health commissioner said she believes people are learning to deal with the reality of another virus in the region.
“I think as it has moved across the country and since it has gotten into the mosquito and animal population then it is like most viruses and we learn to live with it,” Parsons said. |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 08 September 2008 )
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