Tuesday, April 10th, 2007

Accused man to stay in jail after confessing to crimes

By Margie Wuebker
A 32-year-old Sidney man, who has confessed to kidnapping, raping and killing an elderly Fort Loramie woman, will remain in the Shelby County Jail without bond following a court appearance Monday morning.
Chris Harris, heavily shackled and wearing orange jail garb, made no comments during the arraignment other than replying "yes" to questions posed by Sidney Municipal Court Judge Donald Luce.
Members of victim Victoria M. Eilerman's family were present in the courtroom for the brief proceeding.
Harris and his attorney, public defender William Zimmerman Jr., waived the right to a preliminary hearing, meaning the case will be bound over to Shelby County Common Pleas Court.
He is expected to appear there next week to waive presentation of the case to a grand jury and to enter guilty pleas to charges of aggravated murder, rape and kidnapping. No date has been set as yet, but Shelby County Prosecutor Ralph Bauer said the purpose of the delay is to allow family members to be present in the courtroom.
Bauer said earlier the decision not to seek the death penalty was made as part of an agreement involving Harris' assistance with the investigation and information leading to the recovery of the 84-year-old woman's body. He believes the decision is the right one because it affords her grieving family closure.
Harris faces life imprisonment without possibility of parole for aggravated murder plus an additional 10 years each on the rape and kidnapping charges.
The crimes occurred when Harris entered the Eilerman home along state Route 705, east of Fort Loramie, around 12:30 p.m. Thursday, intent on committing a burglary and unaware anyone was home. The elderly woman reportedly startled him by screaming.
Harris, who has admitted being under the influence of alcohol, put Eilerman in the trunk of his car; drove to his home, where the rape occurred; and eventually drove to a wooded area 7 to 8 miles east of the Eilerman home, where he killed the woman and left her body. Investigators estimate the time of death as 2:30 to 3 p.m. Thursday. Prior to Eilerman's death, she made three cell phone calls for help.
Harris' car got stuck in the mud in the woods, and he eventually got a ride back to Sidney and returned around 10 a.m. the next day in another car to retrieve the body and dump it along a long lane off River Road, approximately a mile from the Shelby County Sheriff's Office.
The break in the case came Friday morning when an unidentified informant called to report that Harris, who has a criminal history, should be considered a suspect. Another informant led them to the Lochard Road location.
Among the items listed on a search warrant when the Shelby County Sheriff's Office Tactical Unit surrounded Harris' home Friday afternoon was a lady's ring with three emeralds and small pearls believed to be Eilerman's.
Shelby County Coroner Dr. Fred Haussman said Monday that preliminary results of an autopsy performed at the Montgomery County Coroner's Office in Dayton indicated death was due to head and brain injuries. Final autopsy reports are expected in six to eight weeks.
Harris has a long history of run-ins with law enforcement beginning during his youth and continuing to adulthood, according to Sidney Police Chief Steve Wearly. He served six years in prison on a robbery charge in a 1996 case after being convicted of knocking a woman down and snatching her purse in a downtown alley.
He is currently involved in a pending common pleas court case stemming from a Nov. 14 burglary. A neighbor woman heard a noise in her home as she unlocked the door and allegedly saw Harris leave via a sliding glass door, according to Wearly. The suspect apparently gained entry by removing a window air conditioner.
The 46-year-old woman reportedly ran to the corner of the house and saw Harris enter the Maywood Place home he shared with a girlfriend and her two children, Wearly added.
Harris was free on bond in that case when he randomly selected the Fort Loramie home to burglarize.
Funeral services for Eilerman will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Michael Catholic Church in Fort Loramie.
Additional online stories on this date
Charges of felonious assault have been filed against a local man after he allegedly threatened a Celina police officer with a large knife.
Spurgeon [More]
FORT RECOVERY - The Coldwater Cavalier softball team went on the road Monday afternoon and came home with a huge win scoring eight times in their last at bat to rally and beat Fort Recovery, 10-3, in the Midwest Athletic Conference opener for both teams. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
Celina city officials are worried that some tax increment finance (TIF) revenue is failing to find its way into the proper accounts.
City council m
Celina city officials are awaiting EPA approval for designs for the proposed granular activated carbon (GAC) water treatment facility to be added to the city's existing treatment system.
WAPAKONETA - The Auglaize County Board of Health received good news recently concerning funding for several programs within the department.
Health
COLDWATER - Village council's environmental committee met recently to discuss steps to eliminate the sanitary department's structural sewer overflows (SSO).
NEW BREMEN - Board members approved the hiring of a speech pathologist for the youngsters in the early intervention program of Auglaize County Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (MR/DD).
District maintenance supervisor said 300 feet of old pipe needs replaced
MARIA STEIN - Marion Local Schools board of education took a close look at drain problems Monday night without leaving the confines of their meeting room.
ST. MARYS - Council approved at Monday's meeting the initial financing for portions of the 2007 street program set to begin in May.
Notes will be i
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
Teams began looking for a game after an extended break due to the inclement weather and Celina traveled down to St. Henry on Monday to face the Redskins for the second time in a week.
MARIA STEIN - Both the Marion Local and Versailles softball teams should earn varsity letters just for braving the elements on Monday.
The teams braved the cold, wind and even a couple of snow squalls.