Bluffton Police Chief Ryan Burkholder presented the June 2026 calls for service data to Bluffton council on July 13, noting that 71 traffic stops were notably higher than usual (29 in May 2026). Among 672 calls for service, there were 6 criminal complaints including 1 Animal Abuse, 1 Extortion, 1 Theft, 1 Warrant and 2 Miscellaneous.
MEDIA RELEASE__The Allen County Sheriff's Office Detective Bureau is continuing its investigation into the June 29 shooting at Meijer. While detectives have identified the individual believed to have discharged the firearm, investigators are still working to identify and locate the remaining individuals involved and are asking for the public's assistance.
Kris Shoemaker of Bluffton has been sentenced to 27 years in prison on child pornography charges, according to a July 7 report by The Lima News.
Shoemaker was sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. He was convicted on one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography.
Shoemaker was arrested in Bluffton in May 2025 by the FBI and pled guilty in January 2026.
MEDIA RELEASE__The Ohio State Highway Patrol is reporting 18 people lost their lives in 18 traffic crashes during the 2026 July Fourth reporting period, which began Thursday, July 2 at midnight and ended Sunday, July 5 at 11:59 p.m.
According to preliminary Patrol statistics, in the eight fatal crashes in which safety belts were available, three were unbelted (38%). Of the five fatal crashes involving a motorcycle, three riders were not wearing a helmet (60%).
JUNE 30, 2026 MEDIA RELEASE__Re 6-29-2026 Shooting in Elida Rd. Meijer store.
On June 29, 2026, at approximately 4:10 p.m., Allen County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to Meijer (3298 Elida Rd, Lima, Ohio) in reference to shots fired in the store. Deputies and units from the Lima Police Department arrived on scene, secured and searched the store. No suspects or victims were located in the store.
MEDIA RELEASE__The Lima Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating a single-vehicle crash that occurred at approximately 5:43 p.m. on June 25, 2026. The crash started on US-30 West and ended on Napoleon Road in Richland Township, Allen County.
Rachel Young, age 48, from Lima, was operating a 2013 Mack Dump Truck traveling west on US-30, loaded with rocks. The truck reportedly suffered a tire blowout, causing Young to drive off the left side of the road and into the median. The Mack struck and drove through a guardrail, drove down an embankment and struck another guardrail prior to striking the pavement of Napoleon Road.
