On Tuesday, July 4, local resident Isaac Powers was struck by a vehicle while biking near Ellis Park. Powers, 15, was fatally injured in the crash.

According to Ohio State Highway Patrol, or OSHP, the crash occurred at around 5:10 p.m. Tuesday. Powers was riding his bike on the bike path when he entered the bicycle crossing, traveling west across Polecat Road toward the park. He was struck by a vehicle operated by Margie Baldwin, 91, of Springfield, who was traveling north on Polecat Road.

Powers died on-site as a result of his injuries; Baldwin was treated for minor injuries on the scene.

OSHP has not reported how fast the driver was traveling at the time of the crash.

The intersection of the bike path with Polecat Road lies just outside village limits in Miami Township. The nearest speed limit sign to the site of the crash — which is posted at village limits near the intersection of Northwood Drive and Polecat Road about .2 miles south of where the bike path intersects the road — indicates a limit of 25 mph. It’s unclear where that speed limit coverage ends, as there are no speed limit signs posted from Ellis Park heading northbound into Clark County at least as far as Hustead Road. According to Ohio law, the maximum speed for rural county and township roads is 55 mph.

Signs warning drivers of an upcoming bicycle crossing are posted on both north and southbound sides of the road approaching the crossing; stop signs are posted for cyclists on the bike path at the intersection.

The crash is being investigated by the Xenia Post of the OSHP, who were assisted on the scene by the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, Yellow Springs Police Department and Miami Township Fire-Rescue.

Powers was a student in the Yellow Springs Schools. On Wednesday morning, July 5, the Communications Department of Yellow Springs Schools sent out a message to area students and parents offering counseling.

“To support our students, school counselors will be available today [July 5] at the high school to provide the compassion, respect and support they need as they process this unimaginable loss,” the message read. “The faculty, staff and Board of Education extend our heartfelt sympathies to the Powers family and to all of their friends during this difficult time.”

Those who are interested in arranging to meet with a school counselor are asked to email Julie Gunn at jgunn@ysschools.org.

The post Local teen killed in crash appeared first on The Yellow Springs News.

On Monday, Feb. 26, local resident Ty Allen Arnold was arrested in connection to the fire that erupted at the Hawthorne Place Apartments last summer.

Arnold, 24, is being charged with aggravated arson, burglary and possessing criminal tools. He is presently in custody at the Greene County Jail. 

The News was informed of the arrest by Miami Township Fire-Rescue Chief Denny Powell, who said that Arnold provided investigators from the Greene County Sheriff’s Office with a “partial confession.” Powell said Arnold, who was allegedly in possession of fire accelerants at the time of the fire, raised suspicions not long after the blaze was extinguished when he made “unusual comments” to first responders.

The exact cause of the fire, however, remains under investigation by the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office.

Fire Marshal Senior Public Information Officer Andy Ellinger said that although relevant information has been turned over to a prosecution team, the case will likely remain open through any sentencing “out of an abundance of caution” to “not foul up the process.”

Neither the Sheriff’s Office nor Yellow Springs Chief of Police Paige Burge responded to News inquiries before press time.

The fire at the 52-unit apartment complex occurred around 4 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 12, of last year, and ultimately displaced 11 families and individual tenants. The only injury sustained from the fire was a Miami Township Fire-Rescue first responder who wounded their knee during the eight-hour battle with the blaze.

The fire originated in unit 115 in the northwest building of the Hawthorne complex; the unit was not occupied by Arnold at the time of the fire, according to apartment owner Tina Lagos.

“I’m glad they found somebody, but that name does not ring a bell,” Lagos told the News earlier this week.

As a result of the fire and its extinguishing, units 115 through 122 were destroyed. An additional three units in the adjacent building experienced an electrical malfunction. All 11 units were condemned by the state fire marshal following the blaze.

Lagos said she doesn’t know whether she will rebuild or refurbish the affected units, but that she is “working on plans.”

Just as Powell told the News in the aftermath of the fire, he said this week that the blaze was able to spread quickly through the complex because of the shared attic space between the units.

“When that building was constructed [in 1966] it had a flat roof,” Powell previously said. “Later a pitched steel roof was added on top, creating a void space above all the ceilings that’s difficult to vent and get water into.”

The News will continue to provide updates as they are made available.

The post Man arrested in connection with Hawthorne Apartments fire appeared first on The Yellow Springs News.

A man has been arrested in connection with a fatal shooting that occurred in Yellow Springs on Thursday, March 14. 

Following a three-day “manhunt,” and amid an ongoing investigation by the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, or BCI, Jackson Isaiah Bleything, 22, a Springfield resident and 2020 graduate of Yellow Springs High School, was taken into custody on Sunday, March 17. 

In a press conference on Monday, March 18, Yellow Springs Police Chief Paige Burge declined to share the name of the shooting victim “out of respect for the family.” She added that no additional injuries associated with the homicide were incurred between Thursday and Sunday nights. 

Bleything, who is currently in Xenia’s Greene County Jail, is charged with felonious assault, a third-degree felony; tampering with evidence, another third-degree felony; and possession of criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony. 

The investigation, Burge said at the press conference, began late Thursday, March 14, when the Yellow Springs Police Department responded to a report of an assault at a South High Street residence at 7:45 p.m.

An on-duty officer was dispatched to that call along with Miami Township Fire-Rescue. En route to the South High Street residence, dispatch relayed additional information to the responding officer that the victim of the alleged assault had possibly suffered a gunshot wound. 

When the “lone officer” responding to the incident learned of the shooting, a “signal 99” was issued, which spurred over two dozen law enforcement officials from surrounding jurisdictions to respond to the scene.

By 9:35 p.m. that evening, the surrounding area was being treated as an active crime scene by BCI. 

Burge said on Monday that, although a suspect had not been apprehended Thursday night, she and other law enforcement, including BCI, determined that neighboring residents were not in danger.

“The incident … appeared as an isolated event and it was determined at that time that no further threat to public safety ensued,” Burge said. 

“An initial statement was released to the public [via social media], explaining the escalated police response, and informing residents that an ongoing investigation existed,” she added. “This is standard practice for law enforcement agencies and also came at the direction of BCI to ensure ample time was given to properly investigate.” 

That investigation continued through the weekend, Burge explained. In a joint effort, BCI and Yellow Springs Police worked to establish an “investigative timeline to proceed” and “draft a statement to further update the public.” Burge said on Monday officials worked for more than 20 hours collecting evidence and interviewing neighbors and potential witnesses.  

Though the investigation is still ongoing at present, it culminated on Sunday, March 17, when the Village of Yellow Springs reported that a ”22-year-old, light-skinned Black male, 5/11”, 155 pounds, black hair, brown eyes” who was considered to be “armed and dangerous,” was spotted near Gaunt Park. 

At approximately 6:15 p.m. on Sunday, Yellow Springs Police received a 911 call from a W. South College Street resident who answered their door to Bleything pointing a gun at them. Police commenced their manhunt with fervor.

Later, at 9:31 p.m. — over three hours after the 911 call —  the Village notified local residents via its Facebook page to “be on the lookout,” to “stay in place” and to “refrain from answering doors,” as BCI and Yellow Springs Police conducted their search. At 9:58 p.m., parents and guardians of YS Schools students were notified schools would be closed Monday, March 18,  “out of an abundance of caution.’ 

At 10:19 p.m. a Hyper-Reach emergency notification with text identical to the earlier Facebook post was also issued to area residents. 

At 10:59 p.m., the Village canceled its warning via Facebook and Hyper-Reach, and notified the public via that there was a “subject in custody.” By 2:34 a.m., Monday, March 18, 22-year-old Bleything was booked at Greene County Jail. 

The State of Ohio is requesting a $1 million bond because “the defendant is the prime suspect in the fatal shooting of an elderly female,” according to the prosecutor’s office.  

“The prosecutor’s office believes a sufficient bond is necessary to protect public safety,” Burge said. 

Local concerns voiced

Several local residents, as well as reporters from the News and other area news outlets, were present at the press conference, and asked questions following Burge’s prepared statement. 

Chief among the concerns of local residents: Why didn’t the YS Police Department release more information after the initial March 14 incident, including the information that a resident had been killed that evening?

“I respect and appreciate that the community is concerned,” Burge said. “While it’s important to maintain public safety — and we felt that we had done so in that [March 14] situation — it’s equally as important to make sure we maintain the integrity of any investigation to ensure that justice is received for victims in this case.”

She later added that it’s “standard procedure” for both the BCI and YSPD not to release “details about any ongoing investigation until we have more definitive information to release.”

Those present also questioned why a Hyper-Reach message with instructions on how to remain safe, like the one issued on March 17, was not issued following the March 14 shooting.

“Hindsight is 20/20,” Burge replied. “If we were able to know then what we [knew] on Sunday, I would absolutely have been able to give that notice. However, again, we believed that this was an isolated incident [and] … did not believe there was a threat to public safety.”

Burge went on to attribute the delay in issuing a Hyper-Reach alert to local residents on March 17 to an influx of “2- to 300 phone calls from the public” following the initial posting of the alert to the Village of Yellow Springs Facebook page.

Responding to a question regarding why the police force amassed on South High Street on March 14 did not remain in the village until a suspect was in custody, Burge said the YS Police Department was approaching the situation with “the best possible outcome in mind.”

“We were making efforts during that time frame to reach out to this individual to try to make contact to see if we could find a peaceful resolution,” she said, adding that police spent the time between the two incidents attempting to “definitively establish” Bleything’s connection to the March 14 shooting. 

Citing the ongoing investigation, Burge said she could not comment on whether the person killed on Thursday or the person approached at gunpoint the following Sunday were known to Bleything, nor whether or not Bleything had been identified Thursday, but was not considered “armed and dangerous” until Sunday.

When asked whether charges related to the March 14 homicide will be added to Bleything’s record in the future, Burge said the investigative goal is “to have someone held accountable for what happened on Thursday evening.”

As more information is made available, the News will continue to report on the March 14 homicide, the March 18 assault, Bleything’s arrest and the ongoing criminal investigation, as well as community concerns regarding the response from law enforcement.  

The post Man arrested in connection with March 14 homicide appeared first on The Yellow Springs News.

A 22-year-old man with ties to the village has been arrested in connection with a fatal shooting that occurred in Yellow Springs on Thursday, March 14.

Following a four-day manhunt, and amid an ongoing investigation by the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, or BCI, Jackson Isaiah Bleything, a Springfield resident and 2020 graduate of Yellow Springs High School, was taken into custody Sunday, March 17.

According to documents from the Xenia Municipal Court, Bleything is the “primary suspect” in Thursday’s fatal shooting. 

Bleything, who is currently being held in Xenia’s Greene County Jail, was arrested in Springfield by Clark County deputies and BCI agents on charges of felonious assault, a third-degree felony; tampering with evidence, another third-degree felony; and possession of criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony — all charges stemming from a separate, but related incident that occurred Sunday.

Jackson Isaiah Bleything, 22, was arrested on Sunday, March 17 in connection with a homicide that occurred on Thursday, March 14. The 2020 Yellow Springs High School graduate is currently being held in Greene County Jail on charges of felonious assault, tampering with evidence and possession of criminal tools. (Submitted photo)

In a press conference Monday, March 18, Yellow Springs Police Chief Paige Burge declined to share the name of the shooting victim “out of respect for the family,” though a family member was able to confirm for the News that the victim was a 71-year-old woman and village resident. No other injuries were incurred.

The situation, Burge said, began late Thursday, March 14, when the Yellow Springs Police Department responded at 7:45 p.m. to a report of an assault at a residence in the 600 block of South High Street.

A lone on-duty officer was dispatched to that call along with Miami Township Fire-Rescue. En route to the South High Street residence, dispatch relayed additional information to the responding officer that the victim of the alleged assault had possibly suffered a gunshot wound.

Burge said that when the officer responding to the incident learned of the shooting, they issued a “signal 99,” a distress call, which spurred over two dozen law enforcement officials from surrounding jurisdictions to respond to the scene.

By 9:35 p.m. that evening, the surrounding area was being treated as an active crime scene by BCI.

Burge said that, although a suspect had not been apprehended Thursday night, she and other law enforcement, including BCI, determined that neighboring residents were not in danger.

“The incident … appeared as an isolated event and it was determined at that time that no further threat to public safety ensued,” Burge said.

“An initial statement was released to the public [via social media], explaining the escalated police response, and informing residents that an ongoing investigation existed,” she added. “This is standard practice for law enforcement agencies and also came at the direction of BCI to ensure ample time was given to properly investigate.”

That investigation continued through the weekend, Burge said. In a joint effort, BCI and Yellow Springs Police worked to establish an “investigative timeline to proceed” and “draft a statement to further update the public.” Burge said officials worked for more than 20 hours collecting evidence and interviewing neighbors and potential witnesses.

Though the investigation is ongoing, it culminated Sunday, March 17.

At approximately 6:15 p.m. Sunday, Yellow Springs Police received a 911 call from a West South College Street resident who reportedly answered their door to a man identified as Bleything pointing a gun at them. Xenia Municipal Court documents state that Jackson was observed “ringing the doorbell several times” and “hiding himself behind a covered area of the [resident’s] porch.” Police commenced their manhunt with fervor.

Later, at 9:31 p.m. — over three hours after the 911 call — the Village notified local residents via its Facebook page to “be on the lookout” for a person considered to be “armed and dangerous,” to “stay in place” and to “refrain from answering doors,” as BCI and Yellow Springs Police conducted their search. At 9:58 p.m., parents and guardians of YS school district students were notified schools would be closed Monday, March 18, “out of an abundance of caution.” The Antioch School and Yellow Springs Community Children’s Center also decided on Sunday night to close on Monday.

At 10:19 p.m. a Hyper-Reach emergency notification with text identical to the earlier Facebook post was also issued to area residents.

At 10:59 p.m., the Village canceled its warning via Facebook and Hyper-Reach, and notified the public that there was a “subject in custody.” Investigators had found Bleything in an apartment on Willowdale Road — about 16 miles from Yellow Springs.

By 2:34 a.m., Monday, March 18, Bleything was booked at Greene County Jail.

The State of Ohio is requesting a $1 million bond because “the defendant is the prime suspect in the fatal shooting of an elderly female,” according to the prosecutor’s office.

“The prosecutor’s office believes a sufficient bond is necessary to protect public safety,” Burge said.

On Monday, March 18, the Village of Yellow Springs held a press conference during which Police Chief Paige Burge, center, confirmed that Jackson Bleything had been arrested the previous night in connection to a homicide that took place Thursday, March 14. Joining her at the podium were Village Council President Kevin Stokes, left, and Village Manager Johnnie Burns. (Video still)

Police response criticized

Several local residents, as well as reporters from the News and other area news outlets, were present at Monday’s press conference, and asked questions following Burge’s prepared statement.

Chief among the concerns of local residents: Why didn’t the YS Police Department release more information after the initial March 14 incident, including the information that a resident had been killed that evening?

“I respect and appreciate that the community is concerned,” Burge said. “While it’s important to maintain public safety — and we felt that we had done so in that [March 14] situation — it’s equally as important to make sure we maintain the integrity of any investigation to ensure that justice is received for victims in this case.”

She later added that it’s “standard procedure” for both the BCI and YSPD not to release “details about any ongoing investigation until [there is] more definitive information to release.”

Those present also questioned why a Hyper-Reach message with instructions on how to remain safe, like the one issued on March 17, was not issued following the March 14 shooting.

“Hindsight is 20/20,” Burge replied. “If we were able to know then what we [knew] on Sunday, I would absolutely have been able to give that notice. However, again, we believed that this was an isolated incident [and] … did not believe there was a threat to public safety.”

Burge went on to attribute the delay in issuing a Hyper-Reach alert to local residents on March 17 to an influx of “2[00] to 300 phone calls from the public” following the initial posting of the alert to the Village of Yellow Springs Facebook page.

Responding to a question regarding why the police force amassed on South High Street on March 14 did not remain in the village until a suspect was in custody, Burge said the YS Police Department was approaching the situation with “the best possible outcome in mind.”

“We were making efforts during that time frame to reach out to this individual to try to make contact to see if we could find a peaceful resolution,” she said, adding that police spent the time between the two incidents attempting to “definitively establish” Bleything’s connection to the March 14 shooting.

Citing the ongoing investigation, Burge said she could not comment on whether the person killed Thursday or the person approached at gunpoint the following Sunday were known to Bleything, nor whether Bleything had been identified Thursday, but was not considered “armed and dangerous” until Sunday.

When asked whether charges related to the March 14 homicide will be added to Bleything’s record in the future, Burge said the investigative goal is “to have someone held accountable for what happened on Thursday evening.”

Later Monday night, at the regularly scheduled Village Council meeting, more Yellow Springs residents aired their concerns over the police response and a perceived shortcomings of communication from the Village.

“There was a colossal lapse in judgment from Chief Burge,” villager Pan Reich told Council, regarding the Village’s decision to notify residents of a potential threat three-and-a-half hours after Bleything pointed a gun at the West South College Street resident.

“We should have been told to turn our lights off, lock our doors, stay out of the yard and don’t walk down the street no more than 10–15 minutes after [Chief Burge] found out [about the threat],” Reich said. “We need an apology from her and a statement saying this will never happen again.”

“My trust has been completely effaced,” villager Art Boulet said, echoing Reich’s concerns.

Boulet lambasted Village government and the police department for an alleged “lack of communication” regarding Bleything being at large for three days.

“This past weekend, I did a lot of things around the village with my family,” Boulet said. “I did all those things on the fundamental premise that there was not a suspect who just committed homicide at large in my community.”

Boutlet asked Council: “Do we, as villagers, have any reasonable expectation that we are safe? If that safety is jeopardized, do we have any reasonable expectation that we will be notified?”

Local resident Jeff Campbell agreed with Reich and Boulet, but added that the Village ought to bolster its police department and hire additional officers.

“The way things are going in this country, it’s not going to get any better,” Campbell said.

Villager Dino Pallotta lauded the police response to both Thursday and Sunday’s incidents, and asked for more patience from his fellow villagers when an active investigation is underway.

“Let’s put things in perspective,” Pallotta said. “When BCI comes here, they run the show. We’re a small village. We don’t have the resources of Columbus or Cincinnati. They’re going to run it their way. Whether we agree with it or not, they got to an end result, which is good. We’re safe as a village.”

Council Vice President Gavin DeVore Leonard said he appreciated hearing citizens’ concerns.

“These pieces of feedback are heard,” he said. “I have no reason to believe that there won’t be a serious look at how this was handled.”

Both DeVore Leonard and Council President Kevin Stokes reminded local residents of the importance of signing up for Hyper-Reach to receive future emergency alerts via email or voice and text messages; to do so, go to bit.ly/43FLJOF.

“Sign up so you can be more easily informed about all things regarding emergency or urgent issues,” Stokes said. “We found out just a few weeks ago, when we had the storms, just how valuable of a tool this can be.”

As more information is made available, the News will continue to report on the March 14 homicide, Bleything’s arrest and the ongoing criminal investigation, as well as community concerns regarding the response from law enforcement.

*Lauren “Chuck” Shows contributed to this article.

The post EXTENDED COVERAGE | March 14 homicide upheaves Yellow Springs appeared first on The Yellow Springs News.

On Thursday, March 28, the Yellow Springs Police Department served Jackson Isaiah Bleything, 22, with an indictment in connection to a fatal shooting that occurred in Yellow Springs on Thursday, March 14.

According to a statement from Yellow Springs Police Chief Paige Burge, released to the News on Thursday, March 28, Bleything is indicted on with violations of approximately 14 offenses including aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault, improperly discharging a firearm into a habitation or school safety zone, tampering with evidence, possessing criminal tools and inducing panic. 

“These charges are the result of two separate incidents that occurred in the Village of Yellow Springs on March 14, 2024, and March 17, 2024,” the statement reads. 

Bleything, a Springfield resident and 2020 graduate of Yellow Springs High School, has been in custody at the Greene County Jail since his arrest on March 17. He is being held on a 1 million dollar, and according to the statement, is expected to be arraigned in the coming days. 

The victim of the March 14 shooting has been identified as Yellow Springs resident Connie Vang.

In Vang’s obituary, which appears in the March 28 issue of the News and can be read online here, she is described as having been “the embodiment of hearth and home for so many, and was one of the kindest and most beautiful humans.”

Thursday’s police statement was also one of gratitude and appreciation; Chief Burge stated that the Bureau of Criminal Investigations was “instrumental in bringing this investigation to a swift resolution.”

“Additionally, there were dozens of individuals from multiple disciplines and counties whose efforts do not go unnoticed. We are grateful for the countless hours, resources and expertise of all involved.  We also extend our appreciation to the community. Many residents have reached out to extend their kind thoughts to the Police Department and those directly impacted by these incidents, for that we thank each and every one of you.”

Click here for additional reporting on the March 14 and 17 incidents. The News will continue to provide updates on Bleything’s arraignment. 

The post BREAKING | Bleything indicted for murder, assault, other charges appeared first on The Yellow Springs News.

Ed. note: This article has been updated from its original version to include additional information.

On Thursday, April 25, local resident Ryan Botkin was fatally injured in a two-vehicle crash that occurred at the intersection of U.S. 68 and Fairfield Pike — just outside of Yellow Springs in Clark County. 

Botkin, 44, died from his injuries after being transported by air ambulance to Mercy Health — Springfield Regional Medical Center.

According to the Springfield Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, or OSHP, which is investigating the crash, Ryan Botkin’s wife, 42-year-old Yellow Springs resident Amber Botkin, and the couple’s two children, were also in the vehicle during the crash and sustained serious, but “non-life threatening” injuries. 

The OSHP reported that Amber Botkin was being treated at Miami Valley Hospital, and the children, ages 8 and 12, were taken to Dayton Children’s Hospital for treatment.

The crash occurred at 6:08 p.m. when 38-year-old Enon resident Katherine D. Holder was traveling east on Fairfield Pike in a Jeep Grand Cherokee and failed to yield to a red light at the intersection with U.S. 68, where Ryan Botkin was driving north. Holder’s Jeep struck Botkin’s Toyota Tundra, causing the Tundra to travel off the road and overturn.

Holder was not injured as a result of the crash, and the OSHP reported Thursday night that impairment was a suspected factor in the collision. Holder was taken into custody Thursday, and was arraigned in Clark County Municipal Court Friday, April 26.

Court records indicate that Holder was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, a second-degree felony, and aggravated vehicular assault, a third-degree felony. Holder was also cited for three misdemeanor offenses: operating a vehicle while impaired, failing to yield at a red light and an open container violation. 

Local residents have created a GoFundMe campaign in order to raise money for the Botkin family, with the campaign web page stating: “The Botkin family has suffered a tremendous loss of family member, has a child in critical care, another child with hospitalization injuries and a mother with serious injuries requiring surgery. This family is going to need ongoing support for medical bills, food delivery, mental health resources, etc. Please consider a little something to help them through this very challenging situation.”

To donate to the fundraising campaign, go to gofund.me/8404df95.

The post Yellow Springs resident killed in crash appeared first on The Yellow Springs News.

For the first time since Yellow Springs Police Chief Paige Burge assumed leadership of the local police force in 2021, her department is fully staffed.

Now, the Yellow Springs Police Department is composed of 19 employees: seven dispatchers, one community outreach specialist, one property manager and 10 officers — three of whom were recently hired and are still in training.

“It’s such a relief,” Burge said in an interview earlier this week. “My officers and I are now able to do so much more for the community.”

The last time Yellow Springs police had this many employees was in 2019, when Burge was hired as a full-time officer and former chief Brian Carlson was at the helm.

Despite this influx of new staffers, Dave Meister remains the only officer on the force to live in the village.

As Burge told the News, and as she reported in her annual state-of-the-department memo, provided to Council before the group’s most recent meeting on Monday, May 6, retaining current officers and recruiting new ones were the most significant challenges of 2023.

“It’s not just this department,” Burge said. “Retention and recruitment are some of the biggest challenges for law enforcement as a whole. We’re in, nationally, what the Department of Justice last year called a ‘hiring crisis.’”

A 2022 study by Rice University Professor of Economics Richard Boylan corroborates this: Over 500 U.S. municipalities with populations of 1,000 to 200,000 disbanded from policing between 1972 and 2017.

Then — as Burge suggested — retention and recruitment dipped even lower following the nationwide criticism of police that followed the murder of George Floyd by a police officer, while other officers watched, around the same time as the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many workers “went remote.”

“Why would you sign up to work nights, weekends and holidays when you could make decent money from your couch?” Burge said. “Post 2020, hiring for law enforcement was at an all-time low.”

Furthermore, Burge said the Yellow Springs Police Department has struggled to keep pace with nearby, larger departments that offer greater worker benefits, including higher pensions and schedule flexibility, as well as sign-on bonuses.

“We’ve always been a well-paying department despite our size,” she said. “But there are some things that we can never compete with. We’re not union[ized] and we don’t have a collective bargaining agreement that could get us better benefits.”

To reverse the tide and bring her staff numbers to where Burge believed they should be, she initiated several new policies in 2023: She established a “shift differential” system, in which police officers working nights or longer shifts are paid a higher rate, as well as created a recruit program, wherein recruits are paid to attend police academy and are granted a full-time hourly rate for a guaranteed 36 months upon their graduation.

“That recruitment program was the most beneficial change we made last year,” Burge said. “We’re paying an up-front cost — an investment — to bring in more people who are invested in this community.”

According to Burge, police academy tuition costs around $5,300, and starting pay for recruits is $27.08 per hour. After instating that recruitment program last year, the police department received 51 applications, Burge said. Three were hired in recent weeks.

Owing to last year’s staffing challenges and the subsequent overtime pay, personnel costs accounted for the vast majority of the department’s $1.3 million budget for 2023. While YSPD spent only $1.08 million of that budget, personnel costs came in at $869,952.

Despite the bigger department, Burge said she believes 2024’s personnel costs will largely resemble last year’s. According to her, fewer overtime costs will offset the additional wages.

“Officers are now freed up to be more engaged,” Burge said. “Their approach will be more aligned with what my team is looking to accomplish: to take our time, work with people one-on-one more and find peaceful, alternate resolutions to problems. Ultimately, our officers will be less stressed — myself included.”

Burge added that, in the coming months, villagers can expect added traffic monitoring, bike patrols and business checks from officers who “now have the time to take those special assignments.”

The 2024 local police budget, which was approved by Village Council earlier this year, is $1,938,908 — still the most expensive slice of the Village’s budget. Consistent with last and previous years, Burge said she believes her department will operate under that budget.

In other YS Police Department business—

Calls for service

In Burge’s end-of-2023 report provided to Council last week, she outlined her department’s response to local incidents by type and frequency.

Of last year’s 8,484 incidents to which Yellow Springs Police responded, the largest number was business checks at 1,527 — mostly owing to faulty alarms, Burge said. The next highest incident reports included calls for extra patrol, officer assists, house checks, community policing, then others.

According to Burge’s department data, incidents rose over the last three years, climbing from a 2021 low of 7,334. Incidents peaked in recent years in 2020 at 9,875.

Of 2023’s 93 criminal incidents, theft occurred the most frequently. As Burge told the News, that category includes anything from shoplifting to grand larceny. Though, as Burge noted, virtual and phone-based money-seeking scams contributed to that bloated number of local thefts.

“We have seen such a dramatic uptick in scams,” Burge said. “And those scams aren’t just targeting the elderly. They can happen to any one of us. What makes it difficult for law enforcement is that so many people don’t report it until it’s already happened — until it’s too late.”

In an effort to mitigate scams targeting local bank accounts, Burge said that some of her officers have held and continue to host educational programs to ward off digital predators. Officer Doug Andrus, she said, has spent a number of hours at Friends Care Community informing the center’s residents of how to detect threats. Additionally, Community Outreach Specialist Florence Randolph works with Adult Protective Services and the county’s Council on Aging to help senior citizens impacted by scams to find recourse.

Biased traffic stops?

Also in Burge’s 2023 recap was data pertaining to the year’s number of officer-instigated traffic stops, which totaled 203.

According to her report, more nonresidents were stopped than village residents — 156 compared to 47. Of last year’s 203 stops, 99 involved white men, 60 involved white women and 27 involved Black men — the three highest traffic stop demographics.

Within that data, though, some disproportionality appears. Whereas Black residents account for 9% of the Yellow Springs population, according to the 2020 census, Black drivers accounted for 17% of traffic stops in 2023.

However, Burge told the News that those statistics — that she also shared publicly with Village Council — may be unreliable.

“There are a couple of different factors to consider here,” Burge said. “Our reporting was skewed, for one. We use a clunky program that’s not user-friendly, and our report on demographics referenced not just traffic stops but also citations — so if a person was pulled over and cited, they were double-counted.”

Burge said that more up-to-date and accurate data on last year’s traffic stops will be made available soon.

She added: “In my opinion, the areas that we spend the most time with our traffic enforcement are thoroughfares — where people are coming and going. So, when we look at demographics in the village against those of surrounding communities, I think we’re really more in line with traffic stop demographics that are consistent with Springfield, Xenia, Fairborn and Enon — all of whose residents regularly cut through Yellow Springs.”

Burge also pointed out that she and her fellow officers are annually required to undergo implicit bias training, and that her department receives a yearly audit from the Ohio Collaborative Community Police Advisory Board as well as other state policing agencies that monitor hiring practices, arrests, traffic stops and more.

Body-worn cameras

Another notable difference in policing that began in 2023 was the implementation of body-worn cameras.

Early last year, the village police department received a grant from the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services for $14,472 to cover the costs of the first contract year. Now, a year into officers wearing body cameras, Chief Burge said little has changed.

“Which I think is a good thing,” she said. “If we had seen a significant change, then that would mean something was totally wrong before. In terms of complaints, things we’ve observed, nothing is different.”

Burge continued: “What I think people often understate is how body-worn cameras change the behavior of both the officer and the citizen; you typically see a decrease in use of force and escalation from all parties. They can be an oversight for everyone involved.”

Per an internal audit of their usage of body-worn cameras, four policy violations were identified — with each of those, Burge explained, stemming from officers forgetting to notify citizens that they were being filmed.

“We’re getting better about that,” Burge said.

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On Thursday, March 28, the Yellow Springs Police Department served Jackson Isaiah Bleything, 22, with an indictment in connection to a fatal shooting that occurred in Yellow Springs on Thursday, March 14.

According to a statement from Yellow Springs Police Chief Paige Burge, released March 28, Bleything was indicted on 14 charges, including aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault, improperly discharging a firearm into a habitation or school safety zone, tampering with evidence, possessing criminal tools and inducing panic.

Since his arraignment last week, Bleything has entered a plea of “not guilty” by reason of insanity. Pending the court’s motion for competency — which determines a defendant’s mental acuity — a tentative trial date has been set for Monday, May 20.

Bleything, a Springfield resident and 2020 graduate of Yellow Springs High School, has been in custody at the Greene County Jail since his arrest Sunday, March 17 — three days after the fatal shooting. He is being held on $1 million bail. If convicted as charged, Bleything faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

According to a press release from the Greene County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Bleything’s indictment alleges that he, “with prior calculation and design, purposefully caused the death of the victim as a result of a gunshot wound to the head.”

The victim of the March 14 shooting has been identified as Yellow Springs resident Connie Vang, 71.

In Vang’s obituary, which appeared in the March 29 issue of the News, she is described as having been “the embodiment of hearth and home for so many, and was one of the kindest and most beautiful humans.”

Thursday’s police statement was also one of gratitude and appreciation; Chief Burge stated that the Bureau of Criminal Investigations was “instrumental in bringing this investigation to a swift resolution.”

“Additionally, there were dozens of individuals from multiple disciplines and counties whose efforts do not go unnoticed,” the statement continued. “We are grateful for the countless hours, resources and expertise of all involved.  We also extend our appreciation to the community. Many residents have reached out to extend their kind thoughts to the Police Department and those directly impacted by these incidents, for that we thank each and every one of you.”

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Tuesday, Aug. 13, began like any other day for the Lewis family — until the sound of a helicopter grew louder and louder, its shadow widening over their Wright Street home.

When Mijanou Lewis and her stepson went outside, their house was surrounded by more than 20 law enforcement officials from several counties and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations. Officers — some in plain clothes wearing masks, others in camouflage — held semi-automatic rifles as Lewis stood bewildered in her pajamas.

They were looking for marijuana plants, and the helicopter spotted some in the Lewises’ backyard.

In speaking with the News earlier this week, Lewis said that an officer from the Greene County Sheriff’s Office told her that law enforcement had observed over 40 marijuana plants growing in her backyard — 28 more than are permitted under Ohio state law — which she said was untrue.

“We have 12 plants, which is what’s allowed,” Lewis said.

Lewis added that her husband, Kyle “Boogie” Lewis, is a professional horticulturist who also grows large exotic and rare plants in their backyard.

“They didn’t know the difference between swamp hibiscus and marijuana,” she said.

The hour-long encounter ended as abruptly as it began. Neither Lewis nor her husband were charged or detained by the officers, who, according to Lewis, were there to “educate” her on how to grow marijuana within the limits of the law.

“I asked them, ‘Don’t you think this is a bit much for education?’” Lewis said. “Give me a break. This was a full-blown raid. If they really wanted to educate us, they could have knocked on the door and had a conversation.”

All told, Lewis said that although the raid frightened and traumatized her and her family — effects she still felt over a week later — she and her husband will continue growing their 12 marijuana plants alongside their exotics.

“It’s our right to do so,” she said.

Police presence in the village and beyond

It didn’t take long for villagers to notice the helicopter swooping above Yellow Springs on Tuesday afternoon. The helicopter hung low enough and made enough rounds in the sky for many to make out “Butler County Sheriff” embossed on the side of the craft.

Around 2 p.m., some villagers also observed nearly two dozen law enforcement vehicles congregated in the Dollar General parking lot; it was a staging ground for what appeared to be a coordinated effort to bust marijuana growers beyond Yellow Springs.

Between 2 and 3 p.m., the police at Dollar General split up — some went to the Lewises’ home on Wright Street, and others went to locations in Fairborn and Xenia.

It’s unclear what the results of other raids were, but according to a recent report from WDTN, a man in Fairborn had a similar experience as the Lewises: Police swarmed his home, checked his plants, and left without charging him.

Around the time police gathered at Dollar General, and as the Butler County helicopter flew above Yellow Springs, villagers grew concerned. Many turned to some online discussion groups to search for answers. Others called Yellow Springs dispatch — apparently in such a volume, that the Village issued a public statement via Facebook at 2:43 p.m.:

“YSPD Dispatch is aware of a helicopter flying in the area of Yellow Springs. Note that this is not related to any YSPD or Greene County Sheriff’s activities. Neither department has any information at this time regarding this helicopter or its flight patterns. Please refrain from calling Dispatch so that phone lines can remain open for other matters. Thank you!”

Despite this messaging, Lewis and others read “Greene County Sheriff” on many of the police vehicles and uniforms at Dollar General and on Wright Street.

Later, at 9 p.m., the Village issued a second update via Facebook:

“At the time that we initially provided this PSA, our county dispatch partners had no information related to the helicopter or its activities. It has since been brought to our attention that the activities were, in fact, related to law enforcement. Again, YSPD and YSO staff were unaware of this until after this initial statement was published. Our intentions are always to provide up-to-date, accurate information to be as transparent as possible. Upon the release of the initial PSA, we provided the information we had. We apologize for the mistake.”

Many village residents were dissatisfied by this messaging.

‘Tone deaf’ communications?

In response to the Village’s update, local residents who discussed the incident online described it as “egregious,” “curious,” “misleading,” “grossly incompetent” and more. Many sought answers to why the raid occurred, how much it cost and how the Village couldn’t have known about it.

Local resident Jim Zehner wrote to Village Council before the group’s most recent meeting, Monday, Aug. 19, and said he was dismayed that the Village, in its Facebook messaging, recommended that residents not call the local police department with concerns over the helicopter’s presence.

“We have had some major incidents of violence here in recent years and citizens were rightly concerned if their safety was in danger,” Zehner wrote. “How were we to know that a mass shooting wasn’t taking place? … The Village had to ask people not to call because there was a danger of emergency lines being overloaded. Consequently, an emergency could have happened and assistance could not have been dispatched.”

Some Council members echoed these concerns. Trish Gustafson said she found the Village’s public statements to be “tone deaf.”

“We just had a shooting,” she said, referring to a March 14 homicide in Yellow Springs that killed a 71-year-old resident.

“We have residents who were very anxious about this, and our replies were defensive,” Gustafson said. “I hope we don’t get to the point where, when a resident has a concern, we have the assumption that they’re wrong. We have to provide the service and make sure they’re OK.”

Council member Brian Housh agreed, and said he was also dismayed by the Village’s public communications during recent crisis situations.

“We still have not given an adequate answer to our citizens about some of those communications,” Housh said, also referring to the March 14 shooting and the Village’s infrequent updates when the shooter remained at large throughout the weekend.

“We need to figure this out,” Housh added.

For Council member Carmen Brown’s part, she was frustrated about what she called a “wasteful” use of public funds to conduct these raids. According to her, the raid on the Lewises’ home may have cost around $60,000 in taxpayer dollars in labor, fuel and more.

Eradication or education?

Brown’s estimated cost to taxpayers does not, however, include the cost of the Butler County helicopter itself.

Last month, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost renewed its $150,000 contract with the Butler County Sheriff’s Office for “helicopter services for the Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s marijuana eradication initiative” — an ongoing, 24-year partnership with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to conduct aerial surveillance missions throughout the state.

In 2023 alone, the statewide marijuana eradication initiative, heralded by the Butler County helicopter, led to the pulling of 14,015 marijuana plants, six arrests and the confiscation of 35 firearms and 87.5 pounds of marijuana.

In an interview with WDTN, Greene County Sheriff Scott Anger described last Tuesday’s raids as nothing new.

“A lot of this was about education,” Sheriff Anger said, echoing what law enforcement officials told Lewis on Tuesday. “It was about letting the public know that we do care about these issues. We do care about the quality of life. We do care about the access of marijuana to kids.”

Village Manager Johnnie Burns and Yellow Springs Police Chief Paige Burge met with Sheriff Anger on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the events that transpired last Tuesday, with Burge describing the meeting as “productive.”

“We have had and will continue to have a good working relationship with Sheriff Anger and his team,” Chief Burge told the News. “We agreed that open lines of communication between our departments are imperative. We discussed the marijuana eradication efforts specifically and that those efforts are statewide and in partnership with Ohio’s 88 counties … and that these activities could occur with or without the assistance of the local counties.”

Chief Burge said Sheriff Anger reiterated the focus on “education” pertaining to compliance with the new marijuana laws in Ohio, and that law enforcement agencies, like citizens, are still adapting to these changes — “with the response to violations being less punitive and more informative,” she said.

Burge continued to say that she heard and takes the community’s concerns seriously, and that her department did the best it could with what little information it had last Tuesday afternoon.

“A low-flying helicopter looming over one’s house with no explanation of its intentions would be anxiety-inducting and frightening to most anyone,” she said. “We would never intentionally mislead or put inaccurate information out to the public.”

She continued: “I pride myself on being a leader who learns and grows. This is no exception. We will continue to listen and learn from these experiences.”

The News will provide additional updates on last Tuesday’s marijuana raids as more information is made available. Further coverage of Village Council’s Monday, Aug. 19, meeting will appear in next week’s issue.

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On Monday, Nov. 18, Jackson Isaiah Bleything, 22, pleaded guilty to the March 14 murder of Yellow Springs resident Connie Vang. 

Presiding from Greene County Common Pleas Court, Judge Michael Buckwalter sentenced Bleything to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 30 years. 

In exchange for pleading guilty to charges of aggravated murder, improperly discharging a firearm at or into a habitation, felonious assault and five counts of tampering with evidence, Bleything’s other charges of possession of criminal tools and inducing panic were dismissed — an exchange that allowed Bleything to skirt the maximum sentence of life in prison without parole. 

Jackson Isaiah Bleything, 22, was arrested on Sunday, March 17 in connection with a homicide that occurred on Thursday, March 14. The 2020 Yellow Springs High School graduate pleaded guilty to murder on Nov. 18 and faces life in prison. (Submitted photo)

Bleything, a Springfield resident and 2020 graduate of Yellow Springs High School, was arrested on March 17 — three days after the fatal shooting of 71-year-old Vang in her South High Street home. 

Vang’s obituary, which appeared in the March 28 issue of the News described her as having been “the embodiment of hearth and home for so many, and was one of the kindest and most beautiful humans.”

Following a weekend-long manhunt, police apprehended Bleything 16 miles away from the scene of the murder in Clark County, approximately three hours after he pointed his gun at another Yellow Springs resident on West South College Street. 

Upon his arrest, Bleything initially pleaded not guilty to the murder, and later, not guilty by reason of insanity. That plea was officially withdrawn on Nov. 15 ahead of a jury trial that was scheduled for Nov. 18. 

Additional details on Bleything’s sentencing will appear in this week’s print edition of the Yellow Springs News. 

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A fatal shooting occurred in Yellow Springs on Friday night, Jan. 10.

According to a statement from the Yellow Springs Police Department, officers performed a welfare check at a residence in the 1200 block of Livermore Street at approximately 11:21 p.m., and upon arrival, discovered a person with apparent gunshot wounds.

According to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations, or BCI, the injured individual later died from their injuries. 

A suspect in connection to the case was “quickly taken into custody without incident,” according to the statement from the YS Police. 

The identities of the deceased and the suspect are presently unknown. 

The statement also read: “There is no threat to the community at large. There is still ongoing investigatory work being conducted, and as such, community members will see said activity in the area of Livermore Street throughout the day. This case remains an active and ongoing investigation.”

The News will update the story as more details emerge. 

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Two thefts took place at downtown businesses at the turn of the new year and spurred the Chamber of Commerce to send out a word of advice to local business owners late last week: Keep an eye out and take security precautions.

The Chamber reached out via email to local member businesses, including the YS News, on behalf of the YS Police Department on Friday, Jan. 3. The email detailed two after-hours break-ins at local businesses Unfinished Creations and Miguel’s Tacos food truck.

The first theft, at Unfinished Creations, took place sometime between when the business closed on Tuesday, Dec. 31, and when it was reported to police late Wednesday morning, Jan. 1. Items taken included small change and decorative stones.

The second theft, at Miguel’s Tacos food truck, took place between 10 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 2, and 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 3, when it was reported. This time, $150 in cash was stolen and, according to the email from the Chamber, the business’ “locks were compromised.”

In a separate email with the News, Chief Paige Burge said that the YS Police Department does not currently have a suspect, or any details that would lead them to believe the events are connected.

“The only similarities currently are that both incidents occurred after hours and money/cash appear to be what was targeted,” Burge wrote. “I will add anecdotally, in a town such as ours when we see more than one occurrence like this, they are typically related.”

She added that, over the last five years, the police have only seen one year with a trend of breaking and entering during the months of January and February, in 2023, and noted that the police identified and apprehended the person responsible.

The local police are actively investigating both recent incidents of theft and are in the process of gathering all available evidence — efforts that Burge said “will be ongoing.”

“While the general public may not always see the efforts that go into investigating these types of incidents, we are committed to running down every possible lead and avenue for information that would help solve these crimes,” Burge wrote. “If anyone saw or heard anything in the area in the evening/early [morning] hours on the dates these offenses were committed, please call the Yellow Springs Police Department.”

In the meantime, the police have increased patrols in the downtown area after businesses have closed. Police and the Chamber of Commerce have issued a series of security recommendations to business owners, which include:

• Remove all cash — Do not leave any money in businesses or vehicles after hours;

• Check locks and security measures — Double-check that premises are fully secured when closing;

• Maintain operable cameras — Ensure any security cameras are functioning and recording during nonbusiness hours.

Chief Burge told the News that similar recommendations extend to local residents, too; she said the Village has taken 349 reports of theft since 2020, which include thefts from businesses and vehicles and the thefts of other unsecured property. She noted that, though most of these types of thefts take place in the summer months, the season “makes no difference in a crime of opportunity.”

“The best recourse we have is eliminating the opportunity — lock your homes, your vehicles and ensure your garage doors are shut every evening,” Burge said.

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At the Village Council meeting Tuesday, Feb. 18, Yellow Springs Police Chief Paige Burge delivered her 2024 Annual Report.

The yearly state-of-the-department presentation included aspirational three-year goals for the local police force, data on last year’s 911 calls, department awards, funding initiatives, community survey results and general incident statistics.

“This annual report is always a time for us to reflect on our accomplishments and to definitely acknowledge our opportunities,” Burge told Council members. “Looking back on the last year, it’s been one of a lot of successes.”

As Burge’s report indicated, it was also a year of challenges — namely in staff recruitment and retention of department personnel.

Currently, the police department is staffed by 15 individuals: Chief Burge, five dispatchers, a sergeant, a community outreach specialist, a property room manager, a corporal and five patrol officers.

The number of staffers is down from last spring, when the News reported that, at 19 employees, the local police department was fully staffed for the first time in five years.

Looking ahead, at least in the report’s vision statement, the department aims to prioritize recruitment, recognition and retention, thus “creating culturally fluent team members who respond more empathetically, deliver higher quality services and contribute to overall community wellness.”

Of the Village’s allocated $1.94 million budget for public safety in 2024, the department’s actual expenses for the year came to $1,730,806, the report notes. YSPD’s budget for 2025 is $2,044,258 — the highest the police department has had at their disposal, and an amount totaling 39% of the Village’s 2025 general fund.

2024 at a glance—

• Dispatchers received and placed 25,569 calls, including both nonemergency and 911 calls. That’s an average of 70 calls per day.

• The police responded to 16,074 incidents. Highest among those incidents were extra patrols, house checks, assists and instances of community policing. Other notable incidents included 113 animal complaints, 43 instances of criminal damaging, 304 parking violations, 74 juvenile complaints, four dead bodies, 546 traffic stops and 67 thefts. Incidents tended to occur at the highest frequency between 8 and 9 p.m.

• Police made 106 arrests.

• Eighty-four major crimes were reported — including sex offenses, robberies, felonious assaults, burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts. This was down from 2023 when 96 major crimes were reported, but up from 2022 with 66.

• Of the 500-plus traffic stops, the highest demographic stopped were white adult males at 238, followed by 177 white adult females and 54 Black adult males. Of the stops, 424 stops were non-Yellow Springs residents.

• Between all department staffers, 923.5 hours of training were received, which includes mandated training by the state, federal government and organizations.

• 130 pieces of property were booked — “Pretty average for a year,” Burge told Council.

• Interdepartmental awards include two exemplary leadership commendations for officer Andrew Bluma and dispatcher Daysi Cusick, a human relations commendation for officer Alex Croasmun, civilian of the year for Community Outreach Specialist Florence Randolph, a distinguished service award for dispatcher Stacie Raynor and medal of valor as well as officer of the year for Corporal Joshua Varble.

• Notable funding initiatives — some of which are ongoing or are still being sought — included a $9,135 grant for new body armor and vests for officers, a $4,914 grant for body-worn cameras and a $34,000 grant for improved cybersecurity infrastructure within the department.

“So, we do a lot,” Chief Burge concluded at the end of her presentation to Council.

She continued: “It’s not uncommon to hear that we have such a large department — ‘Why do we need this many supervisors?’ — Well, this is a picture that shows all the responsibilities we’re required to do … our day-to-day workload.”

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