Flash Flood Warning issued September 16 at 3:09AM EDT until September 16 at 7:00AM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH (details ...)

FFWILN
The National Weather Service in Wilmington has issued a
* Flash Flood Warning for... Mercer County in west central Ohio...
* Until 700 AM EDT.
* At 309 AM EDT, radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area. Between 1.5 and 3 inches of rain have fallen. Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 1.5 inches are possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly.
HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as other poor drainage and low-lying areas.
* Some locations that may experience flash flooding include... Celina, Coldwater, St. Henry, Fort Recovery, Rockford, Wabash, Mendon, Chickasaw, Montezuma, Tama, Carthagena, Neptune, Chattanooga and Maria Stein.

Flood Advisory issued September 16 at 4:36AM EDT until September 16 at 8:00AM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH (details ...)

* WHAT...Flooding caused by excessive rainfall is expected.
* WHERE...Auglaize County in west central Ohio... Northeastern Shelby County in west central Ohio...
* WHEN...Until 800 AM EDT.
* IMPACTS...Minor flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - At 435 AM EDT, radar indicated heavy rain due to thunderstorms. Minor flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly in the advisory area. Between 1 and 2 inches of rain have fallen. Additional rainfall amounts of 0.5 to 1 inch are possible in the warned area. - Some locations that may experience flooding include... Wapakoneta, St. Marys, New Bremen, Minster, Jackson Center, Botkins, New Knoxville, Moulton, Buckland, Uniopolis, Kettlersville, Fryburg, McCartyville, Montra, St. Johns, Bulkhead and Egypt.

Wednesday, February 28th, 2007

Man enters guilty plea to child rape charges

More charges pending in Mercer County

By Shelley Grieshop

WAPAKONETA - A Camden man pleaded guilty this week to rape and two counts of gross sexual imposition of a child during a hearing in Auglaize County Common Pleas Court.

Gregory L. Deaton Jr., 26, was indicted by an Auglaize County grand jury last fall for raping and sexually molesting a 13-year-old girl on Oct. 4 at a location in the St. Marys area.

He faces a maximum 13 years in prison and a $30,000 fine at sentencing. A sentence hearing has not yet been set.

Deaton also faces a sexual offender classification that could mandate he register his address with the local sheriff's office for the rest of his life.

Another indictment charge of rape and two other counts of gross sexual imposition were dismissed by prosecutors in a plea agreement.

Deaton also is accused of similar charges in a case pending in Mercer County. Authorities have said the same victim was under the age of 13 when Deaton first had sexual relations with her in the fall of 2003 in Mercer County and reportedly continued until 2005. He then moved to Auglaize County.

A Mercer County grand jury indicted Deaton - a former Montezuma resident - on five counts of rape and five counts of gross sexual imposition. On Nov. 8, he pleaded not guilty to those charges. A pretrial hearing in that case is set for March 16.

Deaton faces 57 ½ years in prison for the charges in Mercer County. Because the charges accuse him of raping a child under the age of 13, an additional 1-10 years in prison could be added to each of those charges at sentencing, according to the Ohio Revised Code.

Auglaize County Common Pleas Judge Frederick Pepple terminated Deaton's $250,000 bond. Deaton has been incarcerated in the Mercer County Jail since his arrest in early November.

Archive of February 28th, 2007

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Pair of blowouts at Elida Fieldhouse

Coldwater and St. Henry advance to sectional finals

ELIDA - A pair of overwhelming wins highlighted the semifinals at the Division III sectional at the Elida Fieldhouse on Tuesday.

In the opener, St. Henry shrugged off a sluggish start and pulled away in the second half for a 56-34 win over Parkway. [More]

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