Police/Fire/EMS

WLIO-Hometown Stations reported a barn fire on Hillville Rd. between Bentley and County Line roads on the afternoon of April 24.

The barn was destroyed and siding was damaged on nearby buildings. 

Bluffton Fire Department responded to the call for service. A controlled burn was the source of the fire.

Bluffton EMS provided the following report for calls for service in March 2025. The total number of calls to date for 2025 is 197.

75 EMS calls 

45 Medical

14 Non emergency transports

2 Motor Vehicle Accidents

13 Fire Calls

1 Mutual Aid Call

50 Patients transported

Provided by the Bluffton Police Dept. on Facebook

1) If you are asked by anyone to purchase gift cards and send them to someone, take a picture of them and send the picture to someone etc. (ANYTHING WITH GIFT CARDS) even if you "know" the person making the request, always check with the person that requested them. There is a good chance the request will come from someone you "know" but in reality, a bad actor is pretending to be that person you trust. Scammers will use phone calls, text messages, emails and USPS to run these scams.

2) Never click on links in emails that you receive unless you are expecting the email and you know that it is a legit email from someone you know or a business you trust. There are so many instances of people's computers and other electronic devices being hacked because of clicking on links. If you question whether the email is legit, contact the person or business sending the email before proceeding. If you hover your cursor over the link on a computer you will be able to see the address that the link is going to take you to. If it doesn't match the sender never click on the link.

From www.AdaIcon.com

By Paula Pyzik Scott

On Wednesday, April 2, Dustin Ray Bolen of McGuffey was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison, having pleaded guilty to three felony counts including murder. 

The charges were related to the death of his father, Michael Bolen, who was reported missing on March 31, 2024. Dustin was arrested in November 2024 and the father’s body was discovered under a family home in December.

Due to the increased threat of severe weather, Allen County EMA will not be administering the monthly test of the 50 Allen County Community Warning Sirens at noon on April 2, 2025, as was scheduled.

The next monthly test of the warning sirens is scheduled for Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at noon.

Timothy Cooper, 41, of Bluffton, crashed into a N. Dixie Hwy. residence on the morning of March 22 according to an Ohio State Highway Patrol report.

Cooper was taken to the hospital and the 2008 Honda Accord he was driving was disabled by front end damage. 

In the incident, Cooper was traveling southwest at an estimated 55 mph, crossed the centerline and hit a home near Lugabill Rd.

The driver was cited with operating a vehicle without reasonable control. An unknown distraction was indicated in the crash report.

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