Saturday, January 9th, 2010

Man charged with arson now also faces intimidation count

By Margie Wuebker
A 33-year-old Celina man, who allegedly considers himself a role model for juveniles, faces a new charge stemming from actions in connection with a pending case in Mercer County Common Pleas Court.
Steven D. Smith II appeared before Judge Jeffrey Ingraham on Wednesday afternoon and pleaded not guilty to intimidation of a witness. A Mercer County grand jury returned the single-count indictment on Dec. 17.
Smith, who remains incarcerated in the Mercer County Jail on a $75,000 cash bond, also faces multiple counts of arson, vandalism and contributing to the delinquency of a minor stemming from a series of dumpster fires in Celina between Sept. 26 and Oct. 12.
He pleaded not guilty to those charges during a Dec. 16 arraignment hearing.
Ingraham set Jan. 20 as the date for pretrial hearings in both cases.
Smith was taken into custody in early October when a Celina Police officer on targeted patrol spotted him and an 11-year-old boy at a dumpster outside Little Flower Learning Center on Touvelle Street.
Chief Dave Slusser told The Daily Standard the youth was inside the large dumpster allegedly attempting to start a trash fire with a lighter while Smith issued instructions. Responding officers found a smouldering fire at the scene.
This was the second dumpster fire of the night with the first being spotted on Hierholzer Street. The two males, who are not related, have been linked to that blaze as well, according to Slusser. Smith reportedly commented on being a role model during interrogation at the police department.
Investigators learned of the alleged intimidation during Smith's incarceration in the first case.
Additional online stories on this date
Celina High School
Photoshop, forensic science, comparative anatomy - these are just a few of the additional courses students at Celina High School can take next year under the new trimester schedule. [More]
MARIA STEIN - Everybody knows that in rivalry games the records get thrown out the window, but in Friday's battle between the Marion Local Flyers and the St. Henry Redskins, all conventional wisdom got tossed out as well. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
NEW BREMEN - Mayor Jeff Pape wants to settle the matter of rehiring retired village employees once and for all. And he sees a key to solving the stalemate as getting input from local residents to assist in the decision-making process.
Sisters of Precious Blood treated people with dips in pools, teas and exercise
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Mercer County health officials this week decided to let the county prosecutor's office deal with property owners who refuse to tap into the county's sanitary sewage system.
Area businesses who have failed to make necessary upgrades to their walk-in coolers could face operating license suspensions.
Although 17 of 18 bus
A season-best offensive performance helped Celina pick up its first Western Buckeye League win of the season.
Darin Waterman scored a career-best 32 points to help lead Celina to a 78-66 victory over Wapakoneta on Friday night at The Fieldhouse.
ROCKFORD - Coldwater jumped out to a quick lead and took advantage of a number of Parkway turnovers to stay unbeaten on the season with a 69-38 win in Midwest Athletic Conference action at Panther Gymnasium on Friday night.
NEW BREMEN - On a night where points were at a premium, the New Bremen Cardinals found just enough offense to defeat the Minster Wildcats 52-28 in Midwest Athletic Conference play on Friday night at New Bremen High School.
Western Buckeye League Roundup
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
St. Marys fell behind early and could never catch up, snapping a two-game winning streak as Bath defeated the Roughriders 60-45 at The Tub in Bath Township in Western Buckeye League play.
Midwest Athletic Conference Roundup
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
Fort Recovery dominated the first three quarters to keep a share of the Midwest Athletic Conference lead after dispatching Versailles 64-39 on Friday night at Fort Site Fieldhouse.