Three police departments that patrol the Montrose area are implementing a new notification system they hope will curtail the use of stolen credit cards and the passing of counterfeit bills to area merchants.

Bath Township Police Chief Mike McNeely says the new instant notification system linking the Bath, Copley and Fairlawn police departments with Montrose businesses can hopefully more quickly stop these fraudulent transactions before several stores are victimized.

McNeely tells AkronNewsNow, "This will be a communication system where you notify them by text message, via their mobile phone, computer, and speed is the important part of it."

McNeely says credit card fraud, stolen identification and counterfeiting are growing problems in the area. " We have incidents of counterfeit money being passed. What we want to do is notify all the other retailers in the area as quickly as possible to make them aware of what activity is taking place.," says McNeely.

He says credit card and identity thieves move quickly once they have your credit information. " What we find frequently is if a person has their purse stolen they will take this credit card and immediately go to the other big box stores in the area and ring up purchases before the customer is aware of it."

McNeely says the three police departments hope to have the new fraud notification system in operation beginning in April.

As oil and gasoline prices spiral even higher,The United States and several European countries are discussing releasing oil reserves from the their strategic oil reserves to try and bring prices down, especially at the pump.

But Ed Weglarz of the Associated Food and Petroleum Retailers of Michigan and Ohio, representing gas station dealers in the two states, says the impact would be brief, judging by what happened the last time the U.S. drew from its strategic reserves. " I'm not sure how long the effect would be though. It seemed to have an effect for a day and a half, and then the price jumped right back up to where it was and continued its slow and steady climb," says Weglarz.

 Ed Weglarz says tapping the oil reserves would have the biggest impact on oil traders.  " It does seem to have a bit of an influence, especially on the speculators. The people who are speculating in the oil market tend to get just a little antsy, and a little nervous when they see product released from the strategic oil reserve, and that tends to bring the price down temporarily."

 Weglarz sees such action as mainly political.

"I think it is more a political move than it is really a move that's going to have a whole lot of effect, although you know nothing operates in a vacuum.

Fairlawn city officials have reached agreement with Copley Township to delay Fairlawn's deployment of concrete barricades to block through traffic on Rothrock Road. Copley Township Trustee Helen Humphrys tells AkronNewsNow " Our attorney Irv Sugerman and Fairlawn's attorney Steve Funk negotiated this and thought the best route now is to wait until the April 30th when the judge is supposed to have the next hearing."

Humphrys is hoping this delay will lead to a judge's ruling keeping the permanent barricades from going up in Fairlawn's dispute with Copley about Wal-Mart moving from Fairlawn to a new location on Rothrock Road in the township.

" It is good news for the time being. I'm still concerned about the thought process in going through this with what is being reported about fear of people driving through their neighborhoods. If someone would just go out there and see, there would be no reason to drive through that subdivision," says Humphrys.

Humphrys says 73 residents of Copley Place,a senior apartment complex on Rothrock Road, have signed a petition urging that Fairlawn take the barricades down and leave the roadway open.

 Helen Humphrys believes that even if permanent barricades eventually go up on Rothrock Road Wal-Mart will go ahead with plans to build a new store and Sam's Club in Copley because there will still be access to the stores from Route 18 and Cleveland-Massillon Road.

Fairlawn has already placed temporary barricades trying to block through traffic in its dispute with Copley over Wal-Mart's decision to build a new store and Sam's Club on Rothrock Road in Copley, thereby eventually resulting in Wal-Mart closing its two stores in Rosemont Commons in Fairlawn.

Through a collaborative effort between several law enforcement agencies, officers from the Akron Police Department, U.S. Marshals Office Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force, the Fugitive Task Force in Columbus, and Columbus Police Department arrested James Winchester, 25, of Columbus for Rape and Kidnapping. Winchester was taken into custody around 9:30 Wednesday morning in Columbus.

On July 7, 2011, around 2:00 in the morning, Winchester picked up the 17-year-old female victim on Copley Road. Winchester then drove to Mercer Avenue where he sexually assaulted the victim before forcing her out of the car.

Winchester was identified through DNA evidence.
 

The third suspect allegedly involved in the robbery kidnapping of three residents in the 2300 block of Briner Avenue on December 03, 2011 has been arrested. Jason Coppinger, 31, with a last known address on Edward Avenue, was taken into custody without incident by the Akron Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Office Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force. Coppinger was arrested around 9:00 Wednesday morning at a relative’s home on East Glenwood Avenue. Coppinger was booked into the Summit County Jail.                 

Jason Coppinger was identified through DNA evidence.

After receiving several tips, the suspect involved in the robbery of the Key Bank, in the 200 block of South Main Street, has been identified. Detectives are asking for the public’s help in locating Lamont Tyrone Vinson, 32, with a last known address on Sherman Street in Akron. Vinson is a black male, 5’10” and 190 lbs. Anyone with Lamont Vinson’s whereabouts is asked to contact our department.

Around 10:00 in the morning, on December 12, 2011, Vinson entered the Key Bank and handed the teller a note stating he had a gun and demanded money. He fled southbound on South Main Street with an undetermined amount of cash.
 

A 24-year old Akron man who shot and killed his abusive father 11 years ago at the age of 13, will now be going to prison for another crime.

Aaron Stitt, of Brown Street in Akron, pleaded guilty to felony charges of aggravated burglary, domestic violence, and violating a protection order.

Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Paul Gallagher sentenced Stitt to seven years in prison. Stitt climbed through the window of his victim’s home and assaulted her early one morning in November. The woman, who has a child with Stitt, had a civil protection order against Stitt.

Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh comments on Aaron Stitts sentencing.  

 In 2001 Stitt shot and killed his father after years of abuse. Stitt admitted to a charge of voluntary manslaughter in Juvenile Court and spent approximately 2 ½ years in a Department of Youth Services facility.

A first for Ohio's Childrens Hospitals. They'll share $2-million in a state grant to research more effective treatment of children's asthma and drug impaired children born to drug addicted parents. Akron Children's Hospital will be part of the research.

Governor John Kasich announced the grant in a Columbus news conference Tuesday. The Governor told reporters  " This is an effort to spend some money to figure out what we can do to offer the best treatment to allow these children to be able to have a normal life, to be able to have as good a life as they can possibly have."  

Kasich says drug and asthma impaired children are a growing problem and Ohio wants to be in the forefront of finding solutions to restoring these children to normal lives.

Kasich says half the grant will be used for research on asthma. " Asthma is a terrible, terrible condition that we think can be improved through research," says Kasich.

The Governor says the other half of the grant will be used to treat children born to parents who were battling drug addiction ." We've been unable to win this war, and the casualties, the victims, are children being born with addictions, that come from people who are addicted."

Kasich says drug and asthma impaired children are a growing problem and Ohio wants to be in the forefront of finding solutions to restoring these children to normal lives.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Heritage Industrial Finishing for 26 safety and health violations. OSHA initiated inspections at the company’s two Akron facilities, which specialize in commercial/industrial and powdered coating applications, after receiving complaints about workplace hazards. Proposed penalties total $88,200.

Eight safety violations at the company’s Englewood Avenue facility include failing to develop and train workers in machine-specific lockout procedures, locking out equipment to control hazardous energy prior to conducting servicing and maintenance, training workers to use portable fire extinguishers, affixing and maintaining labels on equipment controls, and maintaining covers on electrical installations.

Four health violations include allowing combustible residue to accumulate on the sprinklers, floors and walls of the spray booth; failing to require the use of eye protection and to document a personal protective equipment assessment; failing to develop a written respiratory protection program that includes fit testing, annual training and medical evaluation; failing to develop a written hazard communication program; and not training workers on the hazards of chemicals used in the workplace.

OSHA reports thirteen serious health violations at the company’s Kelly Avenue facility. They include failing to provide the proper control devices on the powder coat booth, ensuring that aisles were kept clear of obstructions where powered industrial trucks were used, controlling exposure to noise above the permissible limit, implementing a hearing conservation program, keeping areas clear of combustible powder accumulations, maintaining exposure to total dust below the permissible limit and installing engineering controls to reduce exposures to total dust.

The violations also include electrical hazards such as failing to ensure electrical cords were grounded and to close unused knockouts in breaker boxes. Additionally, one other-than-serious health violation is failing to post OSHA’s noise standard in the workplace.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of its most recent citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

The spike in gas prices is boosting ridership on Akron's Metro Regional Transit Authority. Metro's Molly Becker tells AkronNewsNow " This year so far in just the first two months, January and February we're up five percent over last year's trips. So we do see an almost immediate increase in ridership because of the high gas prices."

Becker says most of the new passengers were drivers who earn lower income and decided a Metro daily ridership pass was cheaper to get to their destination.

The biggest increase in ridership for Metro comes between Akron and Cleveland. " Our North Coast Express Routes that go from Akron to Cleveland. That service is actually up 18.6% over last year at this time so those are the people who are parking their car here in Akron and taking a bus longer distances," says Becker.

Molly Becker says the increase in passengers is helping Metro's bottom line, and as the demand for service increases Metro is adding a new route. "We're introducing a new Route 26 on Exchange Street in Akron, and that's because we're seeing the need for more services in our area," says Becker.

Becker says Metro will always be an alternative for those who can't afford to pay higher gas prices, and the cost of a ride remains the same. She says unlike other public transit systems Metro has been able to rely on stable sales tax revenue to operate and to add routes when ridership and income increases.