(Reily Township)--The man killed in an early morning crash on the Ohio/Indiana border Tuesday has been identified. 24 year old James Walker Lanning of Connersville, Indiana was heading southbound in his Honda Civic on the 7000 block of State Line Road when he traveled off the left side of the road, hit a culvert, and struck a tree around 6:48am. Lanning was pronounced dead at the scene. The Butler County Sheriff's Office says impairment does not appear to be a factor in the crash.

 

(Photo Courtesy: Butler County Sheriff's Office)

The Butler County OVI Task Force will hold a checkpoint Wednesday night (November 27th)
in Ross Township. The Thanksgiving Eve Operation will commence at 8:00pm, and will run through midnight on southbound State Route 128 in front of Ross Middle School. The goal of the checkpoint and saturation patrols are to cut down on OVI related crashes.

(Photo Courtesy: Ohio State Highway Patrol)

A Lebanon man has been sentenced for murdering a woman outside her apartment in Franklin. Judge Donald Oda gave 28 year old Elijah Malik Thomas life in prison with parole possibility after 40 years for the June 2023 shooting death of 23 year old Katelyn Puckett. Witnesses say Thomas fired nine shots at Puckett, with six of the shots hitting the victim. Family members of Katelyn say Thomas had threatened her numerous times in the days and weeks before the shooting.

The Butler County Coroner's Office has ruled the death of a Hamilton woman a homicide. 48 year old Yolanda Wilson was found dead inside her room at the Cove Motel Sunday evening. A man who lived in the same room, 41-year-old Marlow Matthews, is facing a murder charge. Police say the victim had multiple blunt force trauma injuries to her head. The coroner's office says head trauma was the cause of death. Matthews was ordered held without bond until a preliminary hearing scheduled for 8am on Wednesday December 4th.

Butler County traffic investigators are working to find the cause of the second deadly accident in the county this week. A 24-year-old man was killed when he lost control of his 2008 Honda and crashed into a tree as he was traveling southbound on the 7000 block of State Line  Road around 6:49am Tuesday morning.  Although the accident happened on the Ohio side of the road, crews from the Drewsburg fire department in Franklin County, Indiana were called to the scene. On Sunday, a tree vs. SUV crash claimed the life of 21-year-old Austin McGuire on US-127 between Hamilton and New Miami. Police say impairment was a factor in Sunday's crash, but not in Tuesday's accident.

(Hamilton)--The Butler County OVI Task Force has announced two checkpoints as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches. Police will run the first checkpoint tonight (Saturday, November 23) from 10:00pm-2:00am on State Route 4 Southbound at Indian Meadow Drive in Fairfield Township. The second checkpoint will occur Wednesday, Thanksgiving Eve, at a time and location to be announced the morning of the operation. The checkpoints, along with saturation patrols, are an attempt to reduce OVI crashes resulting in injuries and fatalities.

(Columbus)--Hamilton city leaders were in Columbus this week, trying to convince lawmakers and other state officials that the city should have two Amtrak stops. One stop would involve the Cardinal Line that connects Washington, DC to Indy and Chicago. City leaders also want in on the 3C&D line connecting Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, and Cleveland. Councilman Michael Ryan told TV Hamilton a feasibility study will be released during a February meeting of city council. He says they will return to Columbus to make their case for the two train stops.
 

(Image Courtesy: TV Hamilton)

(West Chester)--A crushing end to the search for an autistic West Chester boy. The body of 6 year old Joshua Al-Lateef was found in a retention pond near his Wyndtree Drive apartment. Hundreds of volunteers and first responders decended on the West Chester area Thursday, looking for the non verbal child, who went missing around 5:30pm Wednesday. First responders from across the region and state used sonar, drones, K-9's and helicopters in the effort to find Joshua. Volunteers who helped with the search gathered at the Mulhauser Barn Friday for a candlelight vigil.