2011 News Releases
December 27, 2011
Recently members of Harvest Baptist Church in Wapakoneta dropped off gifts to the employees of the Auglaize County Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff Solomon commented: "It's nice to know that there are people out there that truly care about First Responders. This was a fantastic Christmas Gift delivered to the Sheriff's Office by members of Harvest Baptist Church. Baskets were made for each employee of the Sheriff's Office. As you can see, little Santa Helpers were involved also."
The Sheriff's Office Employee's all say Thank You and Happy Holidays to those who participated.
December 20, 2011
12 ARRESTED IN AUGLAIZE COUNTY DRUG ARRESTS
Sheriff Al Solomon released this morning that a total of 13 people were arrested yesterday morning on drug related charges.
The Auglaize/Mercer County Grand Lake Drug Task Force along with area officers worked together to make the 13 arrests. The arrests were a result of a 6 month long investigation and after cases were presented to the Auglaize County Grand Jury.
Those arrested were:
- Alyssa N. Lohn, age 18, Lima, three counts of trafficking in marijuana.
- Jaron Kanorr, age 23, Wapakoneta, one count trafficking in marijuana.
- Christopher B. Miller, age 21, Wapakoneta, one count trafficking in marijuana.
- Gunnar H. Allman, age 20, Wapakoneta, three counts trafficking in marjuana.
- Jeff E. Lee, age 29, Wapakoneta, six counts trafficking in marijuana.
- Cameron M. Knerr, age 21, Wapakoneta, one count trafficking in drugs and one count trafficking in marijuana.
- Sarah A. McPheron, age 22, Wapakoneta, one count trafficking in marijuana.
- Lisa McPheron, age 21, Wapakoneta, one count permitting drug abuse, two counts trafficking in marijuana.
- Lea R. Barnett, age 39, Wapakoneta, four counts trafficking in marijuana.
- Nicholas A. Prinzi, age 23, Wapakoneta, four counts trafficking in marijuana.
- Joseph W. Shappell, age 24, Wapakoneta, five counts trafficking in marijuana.
- Louis J. Hendricks, age 23, Celina, one count trafficking in marijuana.
- Dillon L. Swartz, age 19, St.Marys, three counts trafficking in marijuana.
Additional arrests are expected.
During the arrests a substantial amount of marijuana and money was confiscated along with a safe and other drug paraphernalia.
Sheriff Solomon commented on the severity of marijuana stating "with the other dangerous drugs out there that are far more powerful and harmful, marijuana is sometimes looked at as non harmful,. But, it is still illegal to sell, possess or use. It is still dangerous, and as any Police Officer would tell you, marijuana is a lot of times the first step in the progression into more dangerous drugs."
Assisting with the round up were officers from the Wapakoneta Police, St.Marys Police, Cridersville Police, Waynesfield Police, and Deputies with the Auglaize County Sheriff's Office.
December 15, 2011
Sheriff Al Solomon, Chief of Police Doug Harrod, & DARE Officer Sam Blank get their photo taken with the 2011 DARE Graduating class of the New Bremen School.
September 28, 2011
The Auglaize County Sheriff's Office is seeking information concerning the theft of copper wire. Sometime between September 12 and September 21, 2011 someone removed copper grounding wire from approximately 22 electric poles in the 1000 block of Weasch Road south of St.Marys. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriff's Office at 419-739-6565 or 419-394-5227.
September 3, 2011
The Auglaize County Sheriff's Office is seeking information concerning multiple acts of vandalism to residents along SR67 approximately 2 miles east of Wapakoneta. In the early morning hours of Saturday September 3, 2011 subject(s) damaged mailboxes, spray painted buildings, and damaged crops. Anyone with information on these incidents is asked to contact the Sheriff's Office at 419-739-6565.
June 28, 2011
Sheriff Al Solomon is happy to announce the availability of a free iPhone Application, "Shaq Shield". The Buckeye State Sheriffs Association along with the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children task force are working alongside Shaquille O'Neal to promote this new tool. Shaq Shield is a free iPhone app that provides parents with the tools and knowledge they need to protect their children from online predators.
Features of this app include:
- A Sex Offender Registry search
- Internet safety tips
- Glossary of Internet terminology
- Lingo used by children online
- Pledges by parents and children for shared internet responsibility
Click the following link to learn more about this app, and for directions to download.
"Shaq Shield is another tool to assist our parents in keeping informed and be able to protect our children from on line predators, and other possible illegal Sex Offense crimes" Commented Sheriff Solomon
May 25, 2011
Sheriff Al Solomon released this morning that Deputies arrested two St.Marys residents for tampering with coin machines.
Deputies were called to the Waynesfield area at 12:49 a.m. of a report of a suspicious vehicle and subjects possibly breaking into pop machines. Upon arriving in the area a vehicle matching the description was located and two persons arrested after a short investigation.
Arrested were Charles H. Higginbotham, age 35, St.Marys and Robin R. Hudnall, age 34, St.Marys.
Sheriff Solomon commented "This is a case where a citizen saw something suspicious and it turned out to be something. Again, if you see something suspicious please call the Sheriff's Office."
The matter remains under investigation.
January 13, 2011
AMBER ALERT PROGRAM EXPANDS TO FACEBOOK
ANNOUNCEMENT COMMEMORATES THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ABDUCTION AND MURDER OF 9 YEAR OLD AMBER HAGERMAN
Auglaize County, Ohio -- January 12, 2011. Auglaize County Sheriff Al Solomon released today that life-saving AMBER Alerts are now available to the millions of people on the social networking service Facebook, including those who live in Auglaize County.
Effective today, Facebook users are able to sign up to receive state-specific AMBER Alert bulletins which will be sent to them through the Facebook “News Feed” feature. A total of 53 new AMBER Alert Pages have been created, one for each state, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia. Facebook users will also be able to share the AMBER Alerts with their friends.
“We are excited that the citizens of Auglaize County will now be able to receive AMBER Alerts on Facebook,” said Sheriff Solomon “This is an important step to keep all of our children safe.”
There are more than half a billion users of Facebook. The new Facebook AMBER Alert pages represent an important expansion of the national AMBER Alert program.
“Everyone at Facebook feels a responsibility to help protect children and, as a former federal prosecutor and a father of two, I am particularly proud that we are now part of the AMBER Alert program,” said Chris Sonderby, Facebook Lead Security and Investigations Counsel. “Our hearts go out to the families of the missing and our gratitude goes to the officers, volunteers, and other AMBER Alert partners who work tirelessly to bring them home. We are hopeful that today’s announcement offers these dedicated officials another useful tool to find and safely recover abducted children.”
Information about the new initiative was announced today by Facebook, the U.S. Department of Justice and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). The announcement was made the day before the 15th anniversary of the abduction and murder of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, namesake of the national AMBER Alert Program.
As the National AMBER Alert Coordinator, I am pleased to see the growth of the program’s national network. I would like to thank NCMEC and Facebook for working together to develop another way the public can join with us to bring home missing and abducted children. We each can play our part by being aware and responsive to AMBER Alert postings that we will now see on Facebook,” said Laurie O. Robinson, Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs.
An estimated 800,000 children are reported missing every year. AMBER Alert is a voluntary partnership involving law-enforcement agencies and broadcasters. An urgent AMBER Alert bulletin is issued by law enforcement in the most serious child-abduction cases that meet specific criteria. The goal of an AMBER Alert is to instantly galvanize the entire community to assist in the search for and safe recovery of the child.
“Average people doing average things but paying attention are saving lives and reuniting families,” said Ernie Allen, President of NCMEC. “With more than 500 million Facebook users this bold initiative will help us mobilize many more people and bring more missing children home.”
About the AMBER Alert Program
On January 13, 1996, 9-year-old Amber Hagerman went missing while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas. A neighbor heard her scream and saw a man pull her off her bike throw her into the front seat of his pickup truck and drive away. Local radio and television stations covered the story. However, four days later Amber’s body was found in a drainage ditch four miles away. Her kidnapping and murder still remain unsolved.
Although her case has never been solved, her abduction and murder in 1996 lead to the creation of the national AMBER Alert Program. AMBER stands for: America’s Missing Broadcast Emergency Response. In response to Amber’s abduction, the Dallas/Fort Worth Association of Radio Managers teamed up with local law-enforcement in 1997 to implement the first local AMBER Plan. Since that time, the program has grown into a seamless network of 120 AMBER plans across the country, and has even reached into Canada, England, France, Greece, Portugal, Mexico and other countries.
In 2003, Congress directed the U.S. Department of Justice to oversee the AMBER Alert program designating the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs as National AMBER Coordinator. To date, the AMBER Alert program has been credited with the safe recovery of 525 children nationwide.
The primary means for AMBER Alert activation is the Emergency Alert System (EAS), the broadcast system used for weather emergencies and other public emergencies. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) created a special code and tone for AMBER Alerts. Once law enforcement has determined that a child has been abducted and the abduction meets AMBER Alert criteria, law enforcement notifies broadcasters and state transportation officials.
To enhance and expand the reach for AMBER Alerts an AMBER Alert Secondary Distribution System has also been created. These “secondary” alerts are reaching millions of Americans in many ways including through partnerships with Internet Service Providers, the Trucking Industry, the Wireless Industry and through the use of Digital Signage which all help distribute AMBER Alert bulletins to a geographically targeted audience. The Justice Department has designated NCMEC to coordinate these secondary distributions. When law enforcement activates an AMBER Alert, they also alert NCMEC, which coordinates the additional dissemination.
The new Facebook AMBER Alert pages represent an important expansion of the secondary distribution system and will enable AMBER Alerts to dramatically increase the reach of and impact of these life-saving bulletins.
Media contacts for more information:
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: (703) 837-6111 or
media@ncmec.org
Facebook: Andrew Noyes, Manager, Public Policy Communications (202) 629-3261 (office), (202) 904-8418 (cell) or
noyes@fb.com
January 12, 2011
Drugs and weapons seized during search of St.Marys home.
INVESTIGATION YIELDS MORE DRUG ARRESTS
Sheriff Al Solomon reported an additional seven (7) people were arrested for drug related offenses yesterday after another drug investigation was completed by the Auglaize/Mercer County Grand Lake Drug Task Force, the Sheriff's Office and area Police.
Deputies and Officers arrested a total of seven (7) people yesterday early afternoon and into late afternoon. Those persons were from Wapakoneta, St.Marys and Celina. The drugs included marijuana, cocaine and heroine.
During the arrests Deputies and Officers confiscated marijuana, prescription medicine, drug paraphernalia and other drug related items. A substantial amount of heroine was taken off of one of the suspects at the time of the arrest.
Those arrested are as follows:
Eric Srisongkham, 23, Wapakoneta. One count trafficking in marijuana.
Sarah Green, 26, Wapakoneta. One count trafficking in marijuana.
Amanda Cope, 24, Wapakoneta. One count illegal possession of drug documents. One count theft. One count burglary.
John Deal, 42, Celina. Four counts trafficking in heroine.
Michael Gambil, 23, St.Marys. Two counts trafficking in marijuana.
Eric Ritchie, 33, Wapakoneta. One count possession of cocaine.
Scott Bellman, 23, Wapakoneta. One count trafficking in marijuana.
As of late Tuesday afternoon units were still working the investigation. Sheriff Solomon pointed out that this investigation continues as will many others to combat the drug issues in this area. Agencies participating included the Auglaize County Sheriff's Office, the Auglaize/Mercer County Grand Lake Task Force, Wapakoneta Police, St.Marys Police, and Celina Police Dept.
Page Last Modified: December 27, 2011
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