TOMORROW
COMING Teachers attend workshop
Commitment To Community INSIDE: Showers, T-storms, high 80, low 64. Page 8.
VOLUME 130, NUMBER 150
INSIDE: Manning acquitted of aiding enemy. Page 3. W E D N E S DAY, J U LY 3 1 , 2 0 1 3
INSIDE: Piqua to hold apparel sale. Page 9.
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Suspects in court Plead not guilty to rape charges BY WILL E SANDERS Staff Writer wsanders@civitasmedia.com TROY — Two men who authorities said allegedly raped a woman they knew along the bike path in Piqua in June both attended their arraignments in Miami County Common Pleas Court on Monday. Thomas D. HALL Hall, 22, of Piqua, and Corey J. Locker, 23, formerly of Piqua and now of G r e e n v i l l e, both entered pleas of not guilty to two of charges rape, first-de- LOCKER gree felonies, and each face the maximum prison sentence of 22 years in prison if convicted as charged, in addition to be labeled as a sex offender. Both men have remained in the Miami County Jail since their arrest in June on bonds of $500,000. Those bonds were continued by Judge Christopher Gee at their arraignments. Should either man post bond they are to have no contact with the victim or the victim’s family. Also in court, the prosecution alleged that Hall has tried getting his family members to talk to the family of the victim in the case. He was ordered by the judge to not ask other people to contact the victim or the victim’s family. Pretrial hearings for both men are set for Aug. 5 Attorneys for both men said the allegations are “he said, she said.” The alleged sexual assault took place on June 2 along the bike path in Piqua near Swift Run, specifically at 9225 N. State Route 66, reports disclose. According to detectives, the two men and the female arrived at the location together prior to the alleged sexual assault.
Index Classified ...............13-14 Opinion ..........................4 Comics ........................12 Entertainment ...............5 Golden Years .................6 Health ............................7 Horoscopes.................12 Local ..............................8 NIE ...............................15 Obituaries...................2,3 Sports.......................9-11 Weather .........................8
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America’s forgotten war Korean war vets take trip to Seoul for armistice anniversary BY BELINDA M. PASCHAL Staff Writer bpaschal@civitasmedia.com DAYTON — Saturday, July 27, marked the 60th anniversary of the armistice that ended what some refer to as America’s “Forgotten War.”There were no parades or fanfare awaiting these soldiers when they returned home. Even today,the KoreanWar often gets lost in the shuffle of more oft-recognized wars. So it was with awe and astonishment that three local Korean War veterans received a heroes’ welcome during a recent trip to Seoul to participate in activities commemorating the armistice that ceased the fierce combat between North and South Korea. The trio’s homecoming on Tuesday at the Dayton International Airport was filled with emotion, stories about their experiences and praise for the graciousness and hospitality of their hosts and helpers during the weeklong visit. “We felt like presidents,”said Donald Meek of Troy. “This trip meant the world to me. It was just beyond human dreams.” Meek,along with Donald Motter of Piqua and Donald Earnest of Tipp City, made the all-expenses-paid trip to South Korea as guests of the Korean Presbyterian Church of Kettering. All three are members of the Western Ohio chapter of the Korean War Veterans Association, based in Piqua. Meek spent 13 of his 21 months in the Army serving in South Korea. A decade after his discharge from theArmy,he enlisted in theAir National Guard, from which he retired. Among the many trip memories he shared
MIKE ULLERY/STAFF PHOTO
Korean War veterans Donald Meek of Troy, Donald Motter of Piqua and Donald Earnest of Tipp City, l-r, arrived at the Dayton International Airport on Tuesday afternoon following a weeklong trip to Korea. The trip was sponsored by the Korean Presbyterian Church and allowed the vets to attend ceremonies honoring the 60th anniversary of the signing of the armistice ending hostilities in the Korean War. was a trip to North Korea, which despite the armistice signing, continues to have a tense relationship with its neighbor to the south. “I always thought that if I got into North Korea, they’d shoot me dead!” the endearingly animated Meek said. Earnest also spoke of the trip north,as well as into the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a strip of land running across the Korean peninsula, along the 38th parallel north, that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea. “We went to the buildings where the (armistice) was signed and took a tour of the 8th Army base north of Seoul,” Earnest said. “In North Korea, they made us take off anything that identified us as a military person — medals, insignias, everything. There were guards on each side,standing at rigid attention.” Motter, a Navy veteran, told of being honored during a special ceremony for helping to save the lives of some 100 refugees above the 38th parallel. Overcome with emotion, he said he later met a woman in Piqua who was among the children rescued during that mission. Earnest reiterated his amazement at the recognition and respect he and his comrades received in Seoul. “Korean War vets are the forgotten vets — it was unbelievable, it was really tremendous,” he said. “They treated us like kings.”
MIKE ULLERY/STAFF PHOTO
Donald Motter of Piqua points to a gift from his Korean hosts as shortly after his arrival at Dayton International Airport on Tuesday afternoon. Motter was one of three local Korean War veterans who traveled to Korea to help celebrate the 60th anniversary of the armistice ending the Korean War.
Gas station robbery via knife lands man in prison BY WILL E SANDERS Staff Writer wsanders@civitasmedia.com TROY — A West Milton man is heading to prison following a Tuesday sentencing hearing stemming from his actions in May where he used a steak knife to rob a gas station and then a bicycle to make a brief escape. Joshua L. Watts, 22, was sentenced by a common pleas court judge to serve one year in prison for his heist and robbery conviction.
Watts was originally charged with aggravated robbery but later had the charge amended to robbery after waiving a grand jury’s consideration of his case June 6. Authorities said that on May 3 Watts walked into Certified Oil, 891 S. Miami St., West Milton, and used a steak knife to rob the gas station. Police reports disclose that Watts fled the scene with approximately $100 and used a bicycle in an attempt to flee the scene, but was later apprehended a short time later by
members of the West Milton Police Department. Upon his capture police found some of the stolen money on Watts, who told police he hid the knife, reports state. Following his release from prison Watts will be subject to post release control. WATTS
Laura man sentenced to two years for child pornography BY WILL E SANDERS Staff Writer wsanders@civitasmedia.com TROY — A Laura man who downloaded thousands of pornographic images involving children to his home computer will spend the next two years in prison, a common pleas court judge ruled Monday. Lee D. Hodge, 24, was labeled a tier II sex offender at his sentencing hearing, which mans he will have to register as such for a 25-year period at the sheriff’s office in the county where he
resides, works or receives an education. Judge Christopher Gee found Hodge guilty of 12 counts of pandering sexually-oriented material involving a minor,second-degree felonies,at the conclusion of a bench trial in May. An attorney for Hodge said in court he plans on appealing the sentencing to the Ohio Second District Court of Appeals. Authorities said Hodge accessed,downloaded and stored the pornography on a home computer and used an Internet file-sharing website to download the media. Hodge came under investigation by the sher-
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iff’s office in October after they noticed suspicious Internet activity originating from Hodge’s residence, according to police reports. Investigators traced Hodge’s IP address back to him and after serving a search warrant found what they described as “large volumes of child HALL pornography.”