14 of 18 roadway deaths OVI-related during 2024 Labor Day weekend
COLUMBUS – The Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) is urging all motorists to prioritize safety as they travel Ohio roadways this Labor Day weekend. Troopers will focus enforcement efforts on removing impaired drivers from the roads to ensure everyone’s journey is a safe one.
The Patrol’s 2025 Labor Day weekend reporting period begins on Friday, August 29 at midnight and concludes on Monday, September 1 at 11:59 p.m.
AUGUST 21 MEDIA RELEASE__The Ohio State Highway Patrol announced today, that an OVI checkpoint will be held in Allen County tomorrow evening, August 22.
The location of the checkpoint will be announced Friday morning. Additionally, to aggressively combat impaired driving-related crashes, troopers will conduct saturation patrols in the area of the checkpoint.
In 2024 there were 10,697 OVI-related crashes in which 567 people were killed on Ohio’s roadways. State troopers make on average 15,000 OVI arrest each year in an attempt to combat these dangerous drivers.
In the packet for the Monday, July 14 Bluffton Council meeting, the Bluffton Police Department has provided a photo of a bicycle left in a public parking spot for 30+ days.
The bicycle has been removed by Village personnel. To claim the bike, please contact Police Chief Ryan Burkholder at 419-358-2066 ext. 109.
LIMA__On July 2, Allen County Common Pleas Court Judge Jeffrey Reed dismissed felony charges against Ronald Powell of Findlay, who was alleged to have discharged a firearm while being pursued by Bluffton Police officers in December 2021.
The Lima News has reported that Reed found the state in error when it provided Powell with the wrong address for the Common Pleas Court, which delayed his request to proceed to trial within 180 days.
RICHLAND TOWNSHIP__On July 1, 2025, at approximately 3:02 p.m., the Lima Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol responded to a report of a crash on I-75 near Beaverdam, Ohio in Allen County.
Donald Eckler, age 82, from Lincolnton, North Carolina was driving a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado southbound in the northbound lanes of I-75. Mr. Eckler hit a 2022 Mercedes- Benz Sprinter van head on. The Mercedes-Benz was driven by Yazan Aljayousi, age 22, from Dearborn, Michigan.
