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Jogger finds $10,000 By Kelly J. Kaczala Press News Editor kkaczala@presspublications.com
Oak Harbor Apple Festival
Nicole and Kathy Chestner fill bags of kettle corn for an eager crowd. The Original Chestner’s Kettle Korn has been in operation for 17 years and comes to the festival annually. (Right) Ryan DeVincent, 18, of Oak Harbor commissions a caricature from artist Derek Brennan. Attending the Festival is a tradition for the DeVincent family and he got the caricature for his mother, in honor of their last Apple Festival before he departs for the Air Force. (Press photos by Stephanie Szozda)
Judge cleared in review of rifle Calling the matter a partisan attack to influence his upcoming bid for re-election, Ottawa County Common Pleas Court Judge Bruce Winters Wednesday welcomed the results of a review of allegations he illegally took possession of a forfeited firearm. Jeffrey Lingo, a Lucas County assistant prosecutor, last week issued an opinion that state law hadn’t been broken and a special prosecutor isn’t necessary to further investigate the matter. The Lucas County prosecutor’s office was asked by Ottawa County prosecutor Mark Mulligan to review a complaint by Adrienne Hines, an attorney and chairperson of the Ottawa County Democratic Party, that Judge Winters had unlawfully taken possession of a semi-automatic LAR-15 rifle forfeited by a convicted man in 2007 to the court’s probation department. It was later turned over to the sheriff’s department and kept in an evidence locker. “It has been the court’s position that the weapon was legally possessed by Judge Winters,” the judge’s office said in a prepared statement. “The weapon was never used for recreational purposes after being
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Although the weapon was stored in the Sheriff’s evidence room, it was never property of the Sheriff.
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By Larry Limpf News Editor news@presspublications.com
released to the judge. The Ottawa County sheriff as well as other interested individuals were fully aware of the location of the weapon at all times.” After assuming office in 2009, Winters sent a request to the sheriff’s office to have the rifle released to him for his protection at home. Lingo’s letter to Mulligan said there is “no evidence that Judge Winters ‘demanded’, ‘commandeered’, or otherwise inappropriately obtained the weapon.” The review found that the judge submitted a written request to the sheriff and the rifle was voluntarily turned over to the
judge for his use. A receipt and other documentation were lost but Sheriff Steven Levorchick confirmed the information, according to Lingo’s review. Levorchick was a deputy at the time Winters assumed possession of the rifle. The rifle has since been returned to the sheriff’s department. Lingo’s letter notes the section of state law pertaining to forfeited weapons says once a firearm is forfeited, “the law enforcement agency has title of the firearm and may keep it or give it to another law enforcement agency for police work, sell it (at auction or to a licensed gun dealer), or destroy it. There is no provision in the forfeiture section …for a law enforcement agency to give. sell, or lend the forfeited firearm to a Common Pleas Court Judge for business or personal use. “There is no provision that likewise prohibits the law enforcement agency from engaging in that conduct.” “The issue of liability as well as any ethical issues is best addressed by the agencies which review those questions,” the letter says.
On August 4, Louis Revesz was jogging westbound on Starr Extension at about 6:20 p.m. when he saw two bundles of cash on the edge of the road near the entrance to the Oregon recreation center. “I didn’t realize it was money at first,” Revesz recounted for The Press last week. He picked up the greenbacks and headed for home. Upon closer examination, he knew he had stumbled upon a hefty chunk of change. He counted the loot, which totaled $10,000. The money was in various denominations. “There were 20, 50 and 100 dollar bills. There were new $100 bills and I thought they were counterfeit. Then I thought, `No, those must be the new $100 dollar bills,”’ he said. He promptly handed the money over to the Oregon Police Department. The money was found in two separate rubber banded bundles, according to police. The bundles further contained eight bundles of $1,000 each and one bundle of $2,000. The money was dry when Revesz found it. A heavy rain ended at roughly 4 p.m., which would indicate it was lost sometime between 4 p.m. and 6:20 p.m., police surmise. “The police didn’t know what to think about it,” said Revesz. “I checked back a week later, and they said it might have been from an armored car. I haven’t heard anything since. I thought maybe they found the owner.” Oregon Police Chief Mike Navarre told The Press last Wednesday no one has claimed the money. He confirmed police thought it may have been linked to the robbery of a Garda armored truck at Chipotle’s, 3305 W. Central Avenue, at approximately 5 p.m. on Aug. 4, not long before Revesz found the money. “They have not been able to link the money to that theft,” said Navarre. “But those two things do not happen very often. I Continued on page 4
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...then the case will go forward, just like any other criminal case. Jeff Lingo See page 4
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