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Former Addyston chief indicted in machineguns trade scheme Cameron Knight Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK
The former Addyston police chief and two Indiana gun dealers have been federally indicted on 17 counts related to a scheme involving the trade of automatic weapons, according to court documents. Former Chief Dorian LaCourse, 65, of Milford is accused of using his position to help the two gun dealers “acquire hundreds of machine guns,” U.S. Attorney John Childress announced March 26. LaCourse resigned last year when the city of Addyston discovered the scheme. The gun dealers, Johnathan Marcum, 33, of Laurel, and Christopher Petty, 57, of Lawrenceburg, took the guns LaCourse helped them acquire and resold them for a profi t, according to the indictment. Federal gun laws heavily restrict the sale of automatic weapons, but law enforcement agencies are able to obtain them. Addyston is a village of about 1,000 people with a police force of less than a dozen offi cers, many of whom are part-time, but prosecutors said LaCourse secured dozens of automatic weapons under the guise of the testing them for police use. “LaCourse signed multiple letters and other offi cial documents as Chief of Police falsely claiming to the ATF and others that the Addyston Police Department was interested in purchasing or receiving demonstrations of machine guns,” Childress said. But Marcum was paying for the guns and picking them up with they arrived at the police station, investigators said. “One of those guns was an M2 .50 caliber belt-fed heavy machine gun, which ... is a vehicle- or ship-mounted weapon that is eff ective against lightly armored vehicles and low-fl ying aircraft,” Childress said. LaCourse faces up to fi ve or 10 years in prison on each charge if convicted and Marcum and Petty each face up to fi ve years, offi cials said. The case is being tried in the U.S. District Court of Southern Indiana. Editor’s note: Information included refl ects this article’s original publication date – March 26. Visit Cincinnati.com for possible updates.
Family members have left flowers and balloons at the apartment where 3-year-old Amari Campbell died in a fi re. PHOTOS BY FOX19
Cincinnati mother charged in 3-year-old's death after fi re Chris Mayhew and Cameron Knight Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK
Amari Campbell was left with someone not capable of caring for him before a fatal fi re took his life, prosecutors say. The 3-year-old was killed in a West End apartment fi re in February. His mother has been charged in his death. Angel Campbell was indicted March 29 on charges of involuntary manslaughter and endangering children. Campbell told Enquirer media partner Fox19 in a Feb. 23 story that she had lost her "one and only baby." Campbell left her son with her mother as part of an ongoing child care arrangement, prosecutors said, but she knew her mother was not capable of caring for the boy. During the Feb. 22, fi refi ghters were able to get Amari and his grandmother out of the apartment. Amari was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center where he died after suff ering second and third-degree burns. Investigators are not saying what started the fi re. Editor’s note: Information included refl ects this article’s original publication date – March 29. Visit Cincinnati.com for possible updates.
3-year-old Amari Campbell died in a fi re in his grandmother's West End apartment.
‘Communication issues’ cited as cause for unauditable fi nancial records Quinlan Bentley Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK
The mayor of Harrison said “communication issues” with a third-party auditor caused the state auditor’s offi ce to declare the city’s 2019 fi nancial records “unauditable.” Ohio Auditor Keith Faber’s offi ce said in a news release that an independent public accounting fi rm that did the audit was unable to obtain needed bank reconciliations, outstanding check listings, some bank statements and transfer listings. The auditor’s offi ce contacted Harrison offi cials on Nov. 30 and again on March 4 to say the independent public accounting fi rm needed more informa-
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tion. Harrison provided some fi nancial statements on Dec. 28, but they were not suffi cient, the release said. City offi cials were given 90 days to revise the fi nancial records and provide the data needed to complete the audit, with the state auditor’s offi ce threatening legal action if the city didn’t comply.
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“The primary cause of this issue was a breakdown of communication between the City and the 3rd party auditors,” Mayor William Neyer wrote in an email to The Enquirer. “This was caused and amplifi ed by the fact that the audit was for the most part conducted in a remote/virtual manner. All previous audits have been conducted in person and on-site,” he wrote. “The City was aware that there were communication issues during the audit and took steps to remedy the issue.” Neyer said the requested documents were supplied prior to the news release and the city expects to be found in compliance within the state’s 90-day window.
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Dorian LaCourse, former chief of police in the Addyston, has been indicted on 17 counts related to a scheme involving the trade of automatic weapons,.PROVIDED
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