Top local news for Wednesday, June 1, 2022

Talawanda High School: Valedictorian Michelle Miao.

Talawanda High School: Valedictorian Michelle Miao.

Here is a look at five big Butler County stories today to catch up on the news.


Police investigating 3 shooting incidents overnight in Middletown

The Riverside Police Department has promoted its first female to the rank of major, the highest rank achieved by a woman in that department. FILE

Credit: File photo

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Credit: File photo

Middletown Division of Police is investigating three incidents of gunfire in the city Tuesday night and early this morning, one that injured a woman.

At about 8:45 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 400 block of Curtis Street on a report of several gunshots, according to city officials. They found several apartments struck by gunfire. Officers searched the area and reported no injuries during this investigation.

Two hours later, officers were again sent to the 400 block of Curtis for a second call of shots fired at about 10:47 p.m. This time officers found a female struck in the neck by a bullet. The victim was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

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Butler County conducts compliance sweep on registered sex offenders

Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones said Wednesday's school shooting massacre in Texas should remind local school districts more needs to be done to protect local schools from deadly attacks. Jones has confronted some area school officials for years to upgrade their school building security. (File Photo\Journal-News)

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Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones has deputies conduct periodic checks on registered sex offenders, and last week his team performed verification checks on scores of people.

There are more than 580 registered sex offenders in Butler County. The operation performed by the Sex Offender Registrations and Notification (SORN) Division on May 25 saw several teams conduct the verifications throughout the day. The operation performed 112 verification checks, and nine are being investigated.

Sheriff Jones said these periodic checks are “vital in keeping the community safe.”

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Fairfield to take on reforestation project at Huffman Park

The city of Fairfield is contracting with two companies to complete the landscape architecture and design for the Huffman Park Reforestation Project. MICHAEL D. PITMAN/STAFF

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The city plans to replant trees in the north portion of Huffman Park and include walking trails as part of a reforestation project in the park donated 22 years ago by the Huffman Family Farm.

In the past 10 years, the park has been developed with biking and walking trails, a community garden, picnic tables, a playground and has included Earth Day tree plantings.

The Huffman Family Foundation recently provided funding for the additional enhancements to the northern side of the park.

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Ex-Middletown city manager wants job back, says he was on ‘hit list’ due to race, gender, age

After a Journal-News report about Middletown Councilman Dan Picard’s suggestion the city’s public safety services not respond to some overdose calls, officials spent the last several days answering questions from national media outlets, City Manager Doug Adkins (pictured) said. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF 2016

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Doug Adkins, who served as Middletown’s city manager for five years until his contract was terminated in 2019 by the city council, has filed a civil lawsuit against the city saying he wants his job back, all lost wages and benefits and he was on a “hit list” due to being an older white male.

In the four counts originally filed in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court, then transferred to Butler County Common Pleas Court recently at the city’s request, Adkins, a 59-year-old white male, claims age discrimination, gender discrimination, race discrimination, and retaliation.

Besides his job, wages and benefits, the suit says Adkins wants front pay, compensatory benefits, punitive damages, compensation for the adverse tax consequences of receiving a lump sum award rather than his compensation over several separate tax years, attorney fees, and costs.

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Nearly a month after fatal stabbing, police searching for trio accused of murder

Juan Antonio Hidalgo Flores, left; Oscar Daniel Flores-Lara, middle and Luis Eduardo Hidalgo Flores, right are sought in connection to a stabbing incident that happened at Hamilton's FOP Lodge May 7, 2022. HAMILTON POLICE DEPARTMENT

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HAMILTON — Nearly a month after a fatal stabbing at a teen girl’s quinceañera, the trio of men charged with murder remain fugitives.

Juan Antonio Hidalgo-Flores, 39; Oscar Daniel Flores-Lara,19 and Luis Eduardo Hidalgo-Flores, 18 have each been indicted by a Butler County grand jury for murder, attempted murder and several counts of felonious assault for the stabbing death of 20-year-old Ivan Isreal Diaz and the assault of three others.

Hamilton Police are still searching for the trio and have increased the reward to $2,500 each for information that results in the arrest of the men.

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AND, for an extra sixth story of the day ...

PHOTOS: Butler County’s top students in Class of 2022

Edgewood High School: Valedictorian Alyssa Williams.

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SEE ALL OF THE PHOTOS