Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1887 2012
To have the courage to do what is right even at personal sacrifice. To have the courage to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. To be brave and persevere in the face of danger. To have the courage to admit when we are wrong.
The Lima News Sunday, June 17, 2012
SECTION G
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INDEX
Celebrating 125 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G3 Notable case: Chuck Conner shooting . . . . . G4 Davenport: Limas first black police chief . .G4-5 Jackson: Limas first black policeman . . . . . G7 The slaying of Jess Sarber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G8 Officers killed in the line of duty . . . . . . . . . . G9 Notable case: Kays Jewelry Store robberies . G9 Police chiefs through the years . . . . . . . .G12-13 Notable case: Woods, Trusedale killings . . G14 Notable case: Grand avenue murders . . . . . G17 Notable case: Baby Tolbert kidnapping . . . G17 Notable case: Kidnapping, chase,arrest . . . G17 Notable case: Tarika Wilson death . . . . . . . . G17 Technology changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G18
From Sheriff Samuel A. Crish & all of the employees at The Allen County Sheriffs Office.
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were installed in cruisers in 1970. The Breathalyzer and the polygraph came into use in the early 1970s. A new station was finished in the 100 block of East Market Street in 1969, replacing the building at 117 E. High St., which had served as headquarters for some 60 years before that. The Lima House Hotel and Sarnos Restaurant and Lounge had to be purchased and razed so the new station could go in. Major changes came with the 1970s. New in this decade were the vice squad, meter maids, bomb squad, SWAT, Safety City, guns, female officer. Lima Technical College opened during this era also and offered an associate degree in law enforcement, allowing officers to be on the force and work toward their degree at the same time. (Officers were first required by the state to have structured training in the mid-1960s.) The 1980s saw more improvements. Wire barriers were first used in cars between front and back seats. A plan for 911 was started in 1986, and it became operational in 1989. A computer system was installed just two years before that.
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Eyewitnesses testified that they were present when Ralph Forsythe shot Chuck Conner right between the eyes at his birthday celebration in August 1957. Yet no one could find the body or the murder weapon. And when a jury of Lima residents convicted Ralph Forsythe of manslaughter in 1957, it marked one of the first times in this country that such a conviction was handed out without a murder weapon, or a body, being found. On Aug. 10, 1957, Conner was celebrating his 37th birthday. To mark the occasion, a group of buddies were throwing back whiskeys at the 224 E. McKibben St. home of Ralph and June Forsythe. Forsythe was charged with firstdegree murder after detectives found Forsythes black Ford delivery truck, believed to be used in the crime. The local paper claimed that Inspector (A.H.) Grady thinks Forsythe took Conners body away from his house in his paneled truck. The wet carpet was tested, and the hardness in the water linked it to Cadiz. A caretaker at a park
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LIMA William Kennedy Davenport was born Feb. 24, 1915, in Greencastle, Pa. When he was 3 months old, his family moved to Lima. And by doing so, they set him on a path that would make him the first African-American police chief in Lima and likely the first AfricanAmerican police chief in the nation. His beginnings were rocky. When he was 3 years old, his mother died, and his father sent him to live for the next three years with his great-aunt Deborah Harger in Anna. He came to Allen County at age 9. His household was filled with youngsters, and his father, William Edward, worked at the Rentz Bakery and in factories in town. Davenport was a Central High School graduate of 1934. By his own admission, he didnt try very hard at first but in his later years found motivation with teacher Zahlia Sundfor. She motivated me. ... She let me know there were things one could have if you were willing to work for them. That stayed with me, he said in a newspaper interview from May 1, 1968. He worked all sorts of odd jobs after graduation, thinking of pursuing college but never getting there. He was a custodians helper at a city building, a busboy at the Argonne, a custodian at a dress shop, a helper at a garage. He married a girl he met at church, but a career was not apparent until he ran into a classmate who was on the Lima Police Department. I decided this was for me. It was a job offering better pay ... something I could live decently on, he said in that 1968 interview. He started as a patrolman April 1, 1942. He said in that 1968 story he walked a beat that first year from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.,
William K. Davenport
1974 FILE photo The Lima News
with his wife worried sick at home but trying to pretend like she wasnt. But worrying aside, police work suited Davenport. I realized I was responsible for more than myself. I felt I had to set the pace for others, to try to motivate other individuals, he said. When I became a Christian, I started looking at life from a Christian point of view. I saw my role more clearly and the importance of my work to others. Davenport was promoted to detective May 6, 1950. Just a few months earlier, he had unsuccessfully sued an employee at the Ranger movie theater for allegedly requiring he sit in the back. See DAVENPORT G5
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Being a policeman is more than putting people in jail. It is helping people, a lot of people.
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He was in the papers in 1951 again for a terrible incident in the line of duty. He and his partner, Det. Charles Hefner, responded to a call for a help at a Lima home. The homeowner, Frank Adkins, was waving a gun and threatening the family, and his wife called in. As soon as they arrived, there was a physical struggle. In the fight, Adkins hit Davenport in his eye with his revolver, and a stray shot from Davenport hit Hefner in the face. Hefner was paralyzed and died about a month later. Davenport also shot Adkins, killing him instantly. Davenport gave a statement to Police Chief Kermit Westbay, who declared everything above board. A man with a gun in his hand, who has threatened his wife, can be expected to use it, Westbay was quoted as saying on Feb. 2, 1951. Both detectives Hefner and Davenport exhibited the cool bravery to be expected of police officers. Davenport also spoke to the press, giving a description of the incident in halting, broken terms, a Feb. 2, 1951, story reported. But Davenport did not break under the pressure and remained on the force. He was promoted to sergeant Feb. 15, 1955. He made lieutenant Feb. 15, 1959. On April 1, 1966, he was given the rank of inspector. The only next step was chief and he achieved it May 1, 1968. He had been acting chief for a month, replacing the retired Chief Donald F. Miller. His civil service exam score was highest. After 26 years on the department, he began to lead the 75 on duty officers at the time. Davenports attitude certainly helped him along the way. He was well-known as an intelligent person with strong character. Being a policeman is more than putting people in jail. It is helping people, a lot of people, he said in a May 1, 1968, story. This is the agency people often turn to when they need help. Sometimes they just want someone to talk with and quite often we cant be of much help except just to listen, to let them unburden themselves. We must reverse the thinking of the public. We must project a positive image and seek the publics support. We need the help it is physically impossible to do the job alone, he said. Davenport certainly felt the mood changing in Lima at that time. His continued help with community organizations as representative or speaker put him in touch with nearly everyone and racial tensions were about to explode. The late 1960s and early 1970s were years marked by unrest, violence and distrust in Lima. People marched often, with the National Guard being called in to help at one point, and the attitudes turned into physical fighting among youth at Lima Senior, too. The Black Panthers had a storefront and a strong presence. Policemen were shot by unseen snipers. An African-American woman was shot and killed by a policeman in an altercation on the south side. But through all this, Davenport helped steer the Lima Police Department through best he could. He nearly quit in 1969 after disagreeing with the mayor strongly, but he stayed. His opinions were clear during an address to a father-son banquet in 1969: Black is beautiful only if black action is beautiful action, he said. The actions of some of todays Negroes can only be likened to the Ku Klux Klan. He said these actions are designed to maliciously harass the community by unprovoked verbal and physical attacks on others, and the desire to destroy that which they do not own. These actions are destroying the climate in which significant civil rights gains can be made. ... A rock through a window or a firebomb may look like the answer when the problem seems unsolvable and frustration tends to dull the senses as to what is right. However, they are not the answer, but only pile on new problems which complicate any attempt toward an acceptable solution. Davenport continued to lead the department into the late 1970s. By December 1977, he had twice delayed his retirement date at the request of Mayor Harry Moyer. But Davenport stuck to it and retired at the beginning of 1978. It was more than a job for him. I dont feel I could have been anything else that would have given me the same sense of personal satisfaction or as much opportunity to do good in the community, he said in 1968. Davenport died March 23, 1999, at 84 years old.
An early photo of the Lima Police Department taken around 1915 shows members (from left) Grant, Edwards, Justus Dotson, unidentified, Houtz and Webb.
The Lima Police Department in 1919. Front row: Sgt. Alexander C. Edwards, Sgt. Charles McCoy, Sgt. Harry Grant and Capt. George Strick. On first step: Patrolmen Albert Stewart, Charles Hamilton, Michael Sullivan, Earl Jennings, Edward Wallace, Walter Clapper and James Ramsey. On second step: Patrolmem Bruce Godfrey, Bruce Sodders, Elmer James, Raymond Blair, and Webb Harrison
Their employees and residents congratulate the Lima Police Department for 125 years of continuing service.
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LIMA Did Lima hire the nations first black officer? As it turns out, no. As the Lima Police Department prepared events for the celebration of its 125th anniversary, one of the LPDs current officers, Jeff Jacomet, was doing research when he came upon William A. Jackson, the departments first black officer. I had been doing some digging and found out we hired William A. Jackson in 1891, he said. Jacksons history was intriguing to Jacomet, especially considering it wasnt too long after the Civil War. Blacks struggled daily to make it in a time when some blacks still were lynched in other cities. In that time and era, I know he had to have it tough, Jacomet said. Curiosity kept him going, and Jacomet kept digging, especially after he remembered the New York City Police Department made the claim its agency hired the first black officer in the country in 1891, the same year Lima hired Jackson. Jacomet was curious to find out whether Limas officer was hired first. Jacomet contacted the NYPD Museum in New York City to obtain information the NYPDs first black officer, Wiley Overton. He still is waiting on a call back with a date of hire, if it can be found. As it turns out, Washington, D.C., hired its first African-American officer some 20 years prior. Lima had the first black police chief in the state, William K. Davenport in 1968. Like any good police investigator, Jacomet decided to hit the pavement. He ended up at the office at Woodlawn Cemetery, where he learned Jackson was buried there but did not have a grave marker, for whatever reason. When I went out there and saw he didnt have a stone, I thought this isnt going to work. He has to have something, Jacomet said. It was a severe injustice that I knew we had to correct immediately. Jacomet approached the Tri State Gun Collectors, which provided various support, including money, to help Lima Police celebrate the 125th anniversary. Officials at that association agreed to pay for $400 for a granite grave marker, and the cemetery agreed to pay for the base the marker sits on. The grave marker is expected to be completed soon. Once its done, Lima Police officials plan a special ceremony at Jacksons grave.
Congratulations
Celebrating 125
years of service
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The Lima News Replicas of Sheriff Jess Sarber and John Dillinger are on display in the Allen County Museums John Dillinger exhibit.
LINDSAY BROWN The Lima News
It was the most notorious crime of the day, and when it happened in Allen County it changed life here forever. After that Oct. 12, 1933, evening, when John Dillingers gang rode into town and killed Sheriff Jess Sarber, life would never again be innocent. Crime was big news, and names such as Bonnie and Clyde and Pretty Boy Floyd were common in the papers. But that was somewhere else. Not in Lima. In Allen County, the law included the popular sheriff, Jess L. Sarber, his wife Lucy who served as matron of the jail, and four deputies, including Sarbers son, Don. That had always been enough. But in September 1933, the John Dillinger gang robbed a bank in Bluffton and was captured in Dayton. Dillinger was taken to Lima for questioning via Lima Police cruiser. And it was a killing here, after supper one quiet Thursday night, that changed how area residents viewed their safety. Sheriff Sarber and his wife were sitting at the desk in the office of the jail. Deputy Wilbur Sharp was sitting on an adjacent couch when three men entered the jail claiming to be from the Indiana State Prison, there to question Dillinger. Sharp recounted the story to The Lima News, saying the sheriff asked for their credentials, and the big man whipped out his pistol and said, here are our credentials. Sarber made a move for his gun and (Harry) Pierpont shot him. The sheriff fell to the floor. The other two gunmen covered Sharp and demanded he produce the keys to the jail. Sharp denied knowing where they were. They evidently took me at my word, for they again turned on the Sheriff, Sharp said. Sarber was asked for the keys but did
not answer. Two more shots were fired, both missing Sarber. The gang leader then struck the prostrate sheriff on the head with his pistol. Mrs. Sarber shouted, Dont hurt him anymore. Ill get the keys and turn out Dillinger. At that, the three men went into the jail, where they freed Dillinger. His cellmate at the time, Art Miller, who was facing charges of second degree murder, said he and Dillinger were playing pinochle when the shooting began. They both stood and went to the jail door, where Dillinger waited on Pierpont to open it. Dillinger turned to me, shook me by the hand and said goodbye and good luck, Miller said. The shooters forced Mrs. Sarber and Sharp into the same cell from which they took Dillinger. Mrs. Sarber said He (Jess) had been so kind and considerate to the prisoners. Dillinger had received the best of treatment. As he walked past me, escorted by the gunmen, Dillinger kept his head down and avoided my gaze. He then walked with his gang through the Sarber household and outside to a waiting car. Other deputies and police were quickly on the scene, with Sarber rushed to Lima Memorial Hospital, where he died at 8:15 p.m., just 90 minutes after the ordeal began. After that incident, Dillinger was named by the FBI as Public Enemy No. 1. The three who had freed him were identified as his henchmen, Harry Pierpont, Russell Clark and Charles Makeley. Eventually all were captured and brought back to Lima for trial. In the meantime, Dillinger had escaped from a prison in Indiana and was on the lam. Locals were fearful that he would return to Lima and free his buddies, who had done the same for him. The Ohio National Guard and a beefedup local law enforcement squad sat with
machine guns ready at the trials for the three. Lima Police officers helping with extra security were Herbert Simmons, Koe Reed, Elmer James, Bernard J. Roney, James Goodwin, Al Mills and Clyde Dixon. Sgt. E. Harry Grant also helped. Don Sarber, who had succeeded his father as county sheriff, coordinated security. After the death sentence was pronounced against Pierpont and Makeley, the local newspaper reported the two were having great fun biding their time in the local jail, with Pierpont called almost hilarious. Both the civil and military police were wondering if the carefree attitude of Makeley and Pierpont might be prompted by a secret message sent by their kill-crazy chieftain. Sarber was quoted as saying, Let Dillinger come if he thinks he can free Pierpont, Makeley and Clark. We are prepared for him and when the smoke clears away, the three men still will be in jail and the nationwide search for Dillinger will be at an end. As it turned out, the search for Dillinger ended July 21, 1934, when he was shot and killed by the law outside a movie theater in Chicago, Ill. But the mark he made in the quiet town of Lima lives to this day. Harry Pierpont received the death penalty for his part in the Sarber murder. It was he who was identified as firing the shot that killed Sarber. At 6 foot 2 inches
tall, the 32-year-old man was very cautious about keeping his face from public view, choosing to be photographed at all times looking down. He reportedly smiled at his sentencing and showed no remorse during the trial. He claimed that on the night of the Sarber murder, he was eating a birthday supper at the home of his mother in Leipsic. At his sentencing, Judge E.E. Everett gave him the execution date of Friday, July 13, 1943. When asked by reporters if he was superstitious about the number 13, Pierpont replied, I should say not. I was born Friday, Oct. 13, and the letters of my name count up to 13. Pierpont died in the electric chair on Oct. 17, 1934 ... three months after Dillinger died. Russell Clark was the only one of the three fugitives who did not receive the death penalty for his part in the Sarber slaying; instead he received a life sentence. The 35-year-old man, who stood 6 foot 2 inches tall, claimed he was attending a birthday party at the home of his sister in Detroit on the night of the Jess Sarber murder. Charles Makeley was sentenced by an Allen County jury to die in the electric chair for his part in the murder of Jess Sarber. The 44-year-old man, who stood 5 foot 8 inches tall, argued at trial that on the night of the murder, he had been at the home of his brother Fred in St. Marys. Makeley was killed in an attempted prison escape from the Ohio State Penitentiary.
OUR POLICE.
A FORCE FOR GOOD Congratulations on your 125th LPD from your friends at the Elks
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Dining Room Pub Room Lounge Banquet/Meeting Room Available Thanks for helping make our community a better place to work and live.
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Five Lima Police officers have been killed in the line of duty. Here is an overview: Patrolman Philip Goebel responded with another patrolman, Mike Sullivan, to Goebel Droesch Hefner Bozeman a call of an attempted robbery on June 6, 1900, to the north yard of the C.H.&D. its owner. He ran but Droesch saw railroad crossing on Vine Street. Three him sitting on a curb later. Not knowing suspects started shooting at them. Goe- the circumstance, he and another officer bel was hit by a bullet in his kidney, were walking the wounded man to the but he made a recovery or so they station when the wounded Thomas S. thought. About two years later, he died McKenna shot Droesch. Droesch died the of kidney failure. Brothers August and next morning, McKenna served time for Theodore Monnin and Louis Breckman various sentences and died in 1948 in an were the suspects. Theodore Monin Indiana prison. was shot and killed at the scene, and Detective Charles E. Hefner was shot the other two served at the Ohio Peni- while responding to a domestic argument tentiary. on Feb. 1, 1951. Frank Adkins was drunk Patrolman Phillip Droesch was shot and threatening his family with a gun. Det. after confronting a man he thought was William Davenport and Hefner arrived, drunk on Oct. 24, 1918. The man actu- and the situation escalated. In a physical ally was shot in the head after earlier struggle, Hefner was shot in the throat and being caught robbing a pawn shop by died about a month later.
Patrolman Charles C. Bozeman was killed igniting a bomb as part of a mock air alert Dec. 9, 1951. Bozeman was one of nine officers scheduled to set off the mortars at a set time, and he did so in the vacant lot across Brown from his North Metcalf Street home. He was burned and hurt badly in the ensuing explosion. The theory is the fuses were timed poorly and gave him no chance to back away to a safe distance. He died Dec. 10, 1951. Patrolman William F. Brown went into a gas station at Robb and Cole streets on Jan. 5, 1974. It was being robbed at the time. Brown confronted the man with a gun, who responded by shooting Brown four times. He was able to call for help using the radio in his car, but he was dead by the time an ambulance arrived. The shooter and an accomplice were later convicted. Source: Lima, Ohio, Police Department: A Century of Service by Joe Bowsher
On March 19, 1936, Kays Jewelry Store at 129 N. Main St. was robbed by three men of about $10,000 worth of goods. The store manager tried to defend his property, and six shots were fired but didnt connect. Officers A.C. Edwards and Edward Swaney saw the scuffle and gave pursuit, but the robbers escaped. On April 27, another group robbed the store, holding Patrolman Jess Ford at gunpoint while doing so. Fords partner started shooting, and a shootout ensued. But the robbers grabbed sacks and got into their car. A witness said one robber was hit. Ford and Swaney gave chase through town, but the cruiser hit a civilian-driven car and put an end to that. Everyone involved recovered from their injuries.
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Lima olice motorcycle squad, circa 1940s: (third from left) Louis P. Julien
Courtesy the Allen County Historical Society
A display of Lima police badges are on exhibit at the Allen County Museum.
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The Lima Police Department exhibit at the Allen County Museum shows the changes in technology used by the police through the years. Patrolman Frank Hefner poses on the first motorcycle purchased by the Lima Police Department. It was also the first motorized vehicle of any kind for the police.
The Lima News archive
The second building to house the Lima Police Department. City offices were located on the second floor.
The communications room at the present Lima police station as it was in 1972.
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May 30, 1899, to July 7, 1899 Thomas Phalen July 18, 1899, to May 25, 1900 James Harley May 26, 1900, to Sept. 21, 1901 Walter S. Mills Sept. 22, 1901, to Feb. 28, 1908 Joseph M. Heffern March 1, 1908, to Dec. 11, 1909 Marion Vermillion Dec. 12, 1909, to Jan. 20, 1913 S. Andrew Earnest Jan. 21, 1913, to Dec. 2, 1913 Edwin Blank Dec. 3, 1913, to April 15, 1914
Lanker
Kipker
Cook
Jan. 14, 1932, to Dec. 31, 1932 Ward P. Taylor Jan. 1, 1933, to Nov. 30, 1939 James C. Goodwin Dec. 1, 1939, to Oct. 25, 1943 Kermit L. Westbay Oct. 26, 1943, to Oct. 1, 1954 Donald F. Miller Oct. 2, 1954, to April 30, 1968 William K. Davenport May 1, 1968, to Feb. 2, 1978 Frank L. Catlett Feb. 3, 1978, to Aug. 22, 1997 Greg Garlock Aug. 23, 1997, to April 14, 2011
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James Harley May 1, 1887 to April 1889 William R. Colvin April 1889 to April 1891 William R. Aplas April 1891 to April 1892 John G. Stockton April 1892 to April 1894 John N. Haller April 1894 to May 1896 Frank M. Bell May 1896 to May 1898 John E. Watts May 1898 to May 29, 1899 John F. Wingate
Joseph M. Heffern April 16, 1914, to Feb. 14, 1915 John W. Beall Feb. 15, 1915, to Feb. 28, 1916 Rolla H. McKinney March 1, 1916, to Sept. 25, 1917 Oscar J. Rousch Sept. 26, 1917, to Dec. 14, 1921 Morton F. Dawson Dec. 15, 1921, to March 31, 1922 Thomas A. Lanker April 1, 1922, to Jan. 12, 1926 Willis M. Kipker Jan. 13, 1926, to Jan. 13, 1932 John Wesley Cook
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There are heroes who walk among us never looking for glory or praise They dont seek recognition for their thoughtful, caring ways. Living lives of deep commitment providing for those they hold dear Steadfast with a quiet strength through times of laughter and tears.
Allen County Children Services thanks the men and women of the Lima Police Department for 125 years of protecting our communitys children...
On Memorial Day weekend in 1931, Limas young people knew summer fun was only days away. Most were counting down the days until McCullough Park opened on May 30 for dancing and rides. For 17-year-old Thelma Woods, the Saturday night dance would be her first date with a new suitor, Earl Truesdale. It was 11 p.m. when the dance ended. The two took a drive around Lima but didnt return home. Within a few hours, Donald Truesdales car the one he had loaned his son was discovered at the edge of an abandoned stone quarry near Hover Lake. The headlights were still burning, but the ignition keys had been removed. A plan was hatched to dynamite the quarry to bring any bodies to the top of the water, and citizens tried to drain the quarry. On June 12, the body of Thelma Woods was found in 13 feet of water. Her hands and feet had been bound with 11 feet of clothesline cord, and a 30-pound rock was fastened around her waist. She was fully clothed. A coroner said she had been hit in the back of the head by a blunt instrument, perhaps a hammer. She was then thrown into the quarry, where she drowned. Truesdales body was found about 150 feet from where Thelma had been located. Like her, Truesdale had been hit in the back of the head with a blunt instrument, and his body tossed in the quarry. And like her, his body had been weighted down by stones. In his pocket were the keys to his car. The public was shocked on Sept. 2, 1932, when Earl Truesdales older brother, Loren, confessed to the killings. He said he was jealous that his brother was always stealing the girls he was sweet on. But then he recanted, explaining that he was deaf and he didnt understand the confession police held him to. He was found not guilty, and the murders remain a mystery.
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On March 15, 1981, two men stopped by a residence at 128 E. Grand Ave. to buy drugs. When there was no answer at the door, one man peeked in to see the whole household murdered save for one little boy. They called police. Two days earlier, police had stopped by that house to look for a burglary suspect. The suspect was there, hiding, and he thought he had been turned in. He and a friend killed the people living there and tossed the gun in a pond. The gun was later recovered by the Toledo fire Department Dive Team and used to convict the two men.
Two-month-old Jameil Ramon Tolbert was set to be released from St. Ritas Hospital April 11, 1976, after having hernia surgery. The day before his release, he was kidnapped from the hospital. Police interviewed nurses, but there were no leads. The FBI started investigating the next day, and there was a break the hospital received an anonymous call saying the baby was at 618 1/2 S. Central Ave. Officers were let in the home by Bruce Banks, who said his longtime girlfriend, Maryann Francis Jones, brought a baby home. Banks said she told him she had twins in March. The girl died, but the boy had to stay in the hospital because of an infection. The boy was found, no worse for wear, and returned to his family. Jones served time for this crime.
On Jan. 4, 2008, Sgt. Joe Chavalia, a 31-year veteran of the Lima Police Department, was among those clearing a Third Street house during a drug raid. He shot and killed Tarika Wilson, 26, and also shot and injured one of Wilsons six children, Sincere Wilson, at the time a year old. Race was immediately injected into the situation, with a white officer shooting the biracial girlfriend of a suspected drug dealer. Community anger boiled at meetings with City Council, the Lima chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and thenOhio Attorney General Marc Dann and Saturday night protest marches in bitter cold, but it did not boil over into violence as many feared it would. The shooting polarized, with some rallying around Chavalia and others calling him a murderer. Ministers and African-American leaders walked a line between pleading for calm and
asking for answers. Anthony Terry, the man police were focused on with their raid, eventually pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges and was sentenced to seven years in prison. Terrys attacking dogs were shot by police during the raid, leading Chavalia to believe he was being fired at. Chavalia was charged with, and later acquitted of, two misdemeanors, negligent homicide and negligent assault. Again race entered the conversation, as an all-white jury took three hours to return a not guilty verdict. An independent review of the case by the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office also cleared Chavalia. The officer returned to work with administrative duties. The day after Chavalias acquittal, Wilsons family filed a civil lawsuit in federal court. Her six children received $2.5 million in a settlement with the city. Civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharp-
ton and nationally syndicated radio host Warren Ballentine called for a 50,000-person march, but it never materialized. And the Rev. Jesse Jackson spent the day in Lima, supporting pastors, registering high school students to vote, meeting with city officials and preaching at Philippian Missionary Baptist Church about Wilsons death. The shooting resulted in far-reaching conversations and reactions. Among the topics: increasing diversity in the citys workforce, a need for unity among different groups, the treatment of African-Americans in the judicial system, an improved police force and policy changes. The city responded with community roundtable meetings, in which hundreds of residents gave their thoughts about how to improve the Police Department and other organizations. That work is continuing and will for years.
Two men and a woman from California were wanted for a kidnapping in Toledo in 1963. On June 16, 1963, officers William E. Williams and Eugene Foster spotted their vehicle and gave chase. A second cruiser joined in, and shots were fired. A roadblock at Diller Road and what is now state Route 309 resulted in a crash, and the two male kidnappers came out of the car with their hands up. The woman was later arrested. Police found seven guns in the car, and the group was wanted on a wide-ranging crime spree. Source: Lima, Ohio, Police Department: A Century of Service by Joe Bowsher, The Lima News archives
Good people providing our community with dedicated and caring service.
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Technology changes
Staff reports
Bertillon Officers were the first identification people on the force, dating to the turn of the last century. Alphonse Bertillon was a Frenchman who theorized that everyone had different body measurements how their face is shaped, etc. and calipers were used to measure people. Bertillon recommended 11 measurements on a persons anatomy: height, reach, trunk, length and width of head, length of right ear, width of right ear, length of left foot, length of left middle and little fingers and length of the left forearm. Using this system was tricky, as different officers often came up with different measurements. In the late 1920s, fingerprinting came into use. Sgt. William Keller organized the Identification Bureau in 1923, with files of fingerprints and mugshots of everyone arrested and held at the city jail. Fingerprinting included everything from taking the actual prints from a person as he was booked to testifying in court. These officers also handled photography duties, including crime scenes. Other tools included the Alcometer, first used by the department in the 1950s. It was a predecessor to the Breathalyzer and was questionable in court, so officers instead had blood samples taken at the hospital. The Breathalyzer came into use in early 1970. This machine involved a person passing air from his lungs through a solution that changed color when exposed to alcohol. A light was then passed through the sample and an unopened sample solution to get a reading. Sgt. Don Stratton was the first officer to do state training on the machine. The Speedmeter involved two air hoses across a lane of traffic. The hoses were spaced 66 feet apart. They were connected to an electrical cord, which connected to a stop watch. An officer would flip switches as a car drove through this zone to measure its speed. Drivers paying attention, however, could brake suddenly and avoid penalty. Officers took measures to hide the lines, placing them in shadows or sprinkling leaves over them. It was first used in December 1955 by Faurot School on West Elm Street. Warnings were handed out to more than 1,000 drivers that day, the first day that the speed was lowered to 10 mph around the school. Source: Lima Lodge No. 21 Fraternal Order of Police 1982 Yearbook
A display at the Allen County Museum shows some of the technological devices used by Lima police through the years.
Lima F.O.P.
Bertillions system of bodily measurements, called anthropometry, as used in the U.S. in the early 1900s. An Alcometer is on display in the Allen County Museum Lima Police Department exhibit. Alcometers are an early version of a Breathalyzer.
1974 FILE photo The Lima News
Richard Rapp examines the rifling marks on a pair of bullets with a comparison microscope.
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Fraternal Order of Police, Lima Lodge #21 Sergeant-At-Arms-R. DeVelbiss President-M. Watkins Trustee-P. Wogerman Vice President-D. Morgan Trustee-L. Campbell Financial Secretary-A. Mefferd Trustee-J.D. Parker Recording Secretary-M. White Treasurer-B. Carroll Imm. P. Pres.-R. Hammell Chaplain-D. Ball Second VP-B. Baty Fraternal Order of Police Associates, George B. Quatman Lodge #8 President-H. F. Moats 3-Year Trustee-J. Casey Vice President-C. Bacon 2-Year Trustee-V. Sloan Secretary/Treasurer-J. Corken 1 Year Trustee-J. Somerville Imm. P. Pres. & Chaplain/J. Losh Sergeant-At-Arms D. McDaniel