Lessons which can be learned from the pages of Ohio newspapers

Citizens come to the aid and rescue of wounded officer
According to Police Chief Butch Wilhite, Lt. Todd Rudd, 33, a nine-year veteran of the force, broke his shoulder bone and arm and received a facial injury when he was assaulted by Angela Behrendsen, 28, 402 Sharp St., Ashland. Wilhite said Rudd was dispatched to Behrendsen's former residence on a civil standby while she removed personal items from the home now occupied by her ex-husband at 925 W. Main St.
She started to argue with Rudd, Wilhite said, and punched him in the face. While Rudd attempted to restrain her, he fell on the frozen ground. Several area residents rushed to help him and hold her.

Deputies looking for break-in links

Records show the burglaries typically happen during the daytime, and the intruders usually force open a door or a window. "It's nearly always forced entry," Hamilton County Sheriff spokesman Steve Barnett said. "It's generally from the rear." The suspects typically take things like cash, jewelry and small electronics, Corbett said. But larger items like televisions have been taken recently. . In at least one case a handgun was taken. There were five break-ins in October and November, but the pace has accelerated since, records show. There were three incidents in one day in December. The most in one month occurred in February, when there were eight. There have been no reported instances of people being home at the time of the break-ins, Corbett said. It appears the suspects are taking steps to ensure the buildings are empty, he added.

Thieves hit once, victim hits back
One armed robbery and an attempted armed robbery within a half-hour of each other netted some stolen goods for the thieves, but it also earned one of them a punch to the face and a lost gun, police said.

The first call came in at 11:42 p.m. Wednesday from two brothers located on the 2100 block of East 42nd Street. The men, ages 18 and 21, said they were approached by two Hispanic men in their 20s. One of the men brandished a .22-caliber revolver and demanded everything they had of value. According to police, the men stole a coat, cell phone, orange Timberland boots and two gold chains from the 18-year-old. They stole a gold wedding ring, Timex watch, Reebok shoes and wallet from his brother, police said. The victims told police the men got into an older-model maroon Honda Accord and sped off.

Then, at 12:18 a.m. Thursday, an 18-year-old man called police to say that he had almost been robbed on the 1100 block of West 11th Street, but he fought back. The near victim told police that the man got out of a late-model, maroon Honda, took out the same type of handgun used in the first robbery, and said, "I'll take that chain." As the thief reached for the man's necklace, the would-be victim grabbed the gun from his hand and punched him in the face. The man started to run and the would-be victim ordered him to come back, which he did with his hands over his
head. To end the confrontation, the man told the thief to get back in his car and leave. He then went inside his friend's home and called police.

Man in wheelchair robbed; friend arrested
A paraplegic man said the man charged with robbing him at his home on the northeast side of town was someone he thought was his friend. A man in a ski mask opened an unlocked door and walked into the home of the victim, who will not be named, according to court documents. The man took $200 and the victim's Oxycotin medication at 9:53 p.m. Wednesday, according to Marion City Police records. The victim and three other witnesses in the house said they recognized the man's voice, identifying him as Denver Malone, 27, 320 Forest Lawn Blvd., according to court records. Malone faces five charges and one three-year firearm specification. If he is convicted of all charges and they are run one after the other, he could get 39 years, said Renee Potts, an assistant prosecutor at the Marion County Prosecutor's Officer. Potts said the firearm specification carries a mandatory three years. He is charged with aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, kidnapping, theft of drugs and having weapons under disability. The final charges carries the weapons specification and involves someone who was "under indictment for, or having been convicted of" a drug offense, according to court documents.

Suspect awaiting trial accused of rape
Authorities yesterday arrested a 37-year-old Swanton man accused of raping a woman in Perrysburg Township while he was free on bond on another rape charge. Armin Lawrence Ryan, who has previous convictions for sex crimes and is classified by the state as a sexual predator, is accused of assaulting a woman in her early 20s at the Friendly Village mobile home park on Oregon Road in the township. The assault occurred about 2:30 a.m. Saturday. The victim said she met a man matching Ryan's description at a bar in Waterville and agreed to go with him to a friend's house to play cards, according to Perrysburg Township police records. She said the man took her to a mobile home in Friendly Village where he raped her and forced her to perform oral sex on him, a police report said. The victim said while she was lying on the floor, the man put something against her temple and threatened to shoot her if she didn't do what he wanted. About 4:30 a.m., the victim convinced the man to take her to buy cigarettes. The man drove to Barney's Convenience Mart in Waterville, where the victim got the clerk to call police for her and the man fled.

Police need leads in carrier assault
Toledo police are looking for tips about a man who punched a 71-year-old Blade carrier and robbed her of her keys last week as she was delivering papers. Phyllis Rhoton was punched in the face and robbed March 4 in the 1000 block of Page Street. She was treated at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center. She was taking a newspaper up to the front porch of a home at about 6:15 a.m. when the man walked behind her and demanded money. When she told him she had none, he hit her in the left eye, knocking her to the ground. He searched her pockets and found only a set of keys, which he took, police said. A 68-year-old woman with whom Ms. Rhoton delivers the newspaper remained in the car. The man went to the car and told her to get out and give him money. She locked the doors and refused. He fled, police said. The suspect was described as being black, 6 feet tall, weighing 200 pounds, and wearing dark clothes with a hood. The Blade is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the robbery.