Prosecuting Attorney Ron O’Brien announces today that The Franklin County Grand Jury has returned a three (3) count indictment on Donald Wilson Frick, Jr., age 26, the Reynoldsburg police officer accused of robbing a private dancer at gunpoint.  Frick has been indicted on 1 count Aggravated Robbery (F-1), 1 count Robbery (F-2), and 1 count Robbery  (F-3), all three counts have a firearm specification.  There is only one alleged victim, but multiple robbery charges are permitted because there are different ways to commit a robbery, and a separate count must be included for each method.  The victim alleges that Frick requested her dancing services, provided her with $150.00, asked her for sex, and when she refused, the defendant pulled and pointed a gun at her while he demanded his money back.  The victim called people who were waiting for her outside in their car, and they removed her from the location. 

              The defendant is not currently in jail.  Arraignment for Donald Frick is set for Monday, November 30th, at 1:30 pm in courtroom 1B.  Bond will be set at that arraignment.

SUBJECT:       Multiple Aggravated Robbery

                          Defendant Jeffrey Allen York

 NEWS:            20 Count Indictment of Defendant

                          Jeffrey Allen York

          Between September 29, 2009 and October 9, 2009, the defendant Jeffrey Allen York, age 21, allegedly committed armed robberies of five local citizens.  The Franklin County Grand Jury has returned a 20 count indictment including Aggravated Robbery with Specification, Robbery with Specification, and Kidnapping with Specification.  Each count of the indictment also has a 3 year Firearm Specification.

          The robberies occurred near several different locations, including the Infinity Store located at 1880 Parsons Avenue, the Lowe’s Store located at 3616 E. Broad Street, an OSU student was robbed near the intersection of 15th and N. High Street, and the final location was by Dirty Frank’s Restaurant at 248 S. 4th Street.  The defendant would pull up in a vehicle, ask for directions, and then rob the victims at gunpoint.

Arraignment of Jeffrey York is set for this Wednesday, October 21st at 1:30 pm.

                  Prosecutor Ron O’Brien announces today that the Franklin County Grand Jury has returned six (6) separate indictments against six of the young adults involved in trafficking  dangerous drugs in connection to the drug sweep last week on the north side of Franklin County.  Those indicted are Shane Smeltzer, Russell Conlon, Jason Huffer, Trenton Radford, Jan Byers, and Tyler Shively.  The charges range from Aggravated Trafficking to Trafficking Cocaine and Trafficking Marijuana.  According to O’Brien, all of the indictments, with exception to Shively,  have school specifications, indicating that some of the trafficking allegedly occurred within 1,000 feet of school property, specifically Liberty Elementary school and Dublin Scioto High School.  Also, all of the indictments, with exception to Shively, have charges at the F-3 level or higher which carry mandatory prison time.  Police seized a variety of drugs, including oxycodone, ecstasy, cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, and various prescription medications.  Others arrested at the same time will be considered for Grand Jury presentation at a later date after results of lab tests are received.

SUBJECT:      Half Million Dollar Embezzlement Case Indicted 

NEWS:           Katherine Stephens and The Columbus Serum Company

          Prosecutor Ron O’Brien announces that the Franklin County Grand Jury has returned a two count indictment against Katherine Stephens, a former employee of The Columbus Serum Company located at 2025 S. High Street.  O’Brien said, “Stephens was a trusted employee who abused her position by embezzling over a half million the past eight years.” 

          Stephens has been indicted for one count (F-2) Theft and one count (F-3) Tampering With Records.  The Theft has a maximum penalty of 8 years and the Tampering carries a maximum of 5 years.  The indictment alleges that between 2001 and 2009, Katherine Stephens, an account receivables clerk, had been crediting her personal debit and credit cards through the company credit card processing, and that the credits were going into her personal bank account and onto her personal credit card accounts, totaling in excess of $555,000. 

8/26/09

Grand Jury

GRAND JURY INDICTS 11 YEAR OLD COLD CASE INVOLVING

DOUBLE HOMICIDE OF MOTHER AND 1 YEAR OLD CHILD

              Prosecutor Ron O’Brien announced that the Franklin County Grand Jury has indicted Lee T. Darrington for the August 1998 aggravated murders of Ly Dieu Tran, age 26, and her 13 month old daughter Mylia.  The homicide investigation into both deaths remained unsolved, until the police received an anonymous tip in January of 2009 which enabled the police to identify Darrington as the offender.

              Darrington has been indicted on 7 counts of aggravated murder with death penalty specifications, 1 count of aggravated burglary, and 1 count of aggravated robbery, for a total of 9 counts, in the stabbing deaths of both Ms. Tran and her daughter in their town house at 1555 Appleton Court in the Yorkshire Terrace apartment complex on the east side of Columbus.

              Ms. Tran and her husband Mihn Tong started and operated a manicure shop called Magic Nails at 3984 E. Broad Street in the Town and Country shopping center.  Mr. Tong was out of town on the weekend the murders occurred.

              Mr. Darrington is currently incarcerated in the Toledo Correctional Institute for the next 16 years for a variety of offenses that include RICO, Drug Trafficking, Forgery, Intimidate Victim/Witness.  His arraignment will occur at a future date when he is brought back from the prison. 

              Darrington’s photo can be accessed at the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Web Site:

www.drc.state.oh.us/OffenderSearch/Search.aspx

PROSECUTOR TO DISMISS ALL CHARGES AGAINST DERRIS LEWIS 

        On August 6, 2009 the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office requested Judge Guy Reece to dismiss all charges against Derris Lewis in connection with the home invasion homicide of his brother Dennis Lewis that occurred on January 18, 2008 at 1161 Loretta Ave. in Columbus. Today the Columbus Police Crime Lab conducted further testing at the request of the Prosecutor’s office on a slab of drywall cut out from the east wall of the north bedroom that was the scene of the murder. That wall was the location of a palm print that previously was identified by the Columbus Division of Police as in blood. The test today was on the palm print impression itself for the presence of human blood. That test was negative for the presence of human blood. The palm print was in fact the palm print of Derris Lewis that must have been placed on the wall at some unknown time prior to the homicide. The palm print impression must have contained an animal protein substance that was developed by the Crime Scene Search Unit with a chemical treatment by Amido Black, a protein dye stain. That process develops latent prints made in blood, both prints visible and not visible with the naked eye. However, a print may also develop when other animal proteins are present on the hand, palm or finger when the print is left. Until today all references in police search warrants, reports and testimony referred to the palm print as a bloody palm print or a palm print in blood. The test this morning established that the palm print was not in human blood. For that reason all charges will be dismissed and Derris Lewis released from the County Jail.

no trial date set yet in 9B before Judge Charles Schneider in case 09CR3930

07/13/09

09CR359

Def David Hopper: Known as the “blue eyed rapist” is suspected in 10 robberies and sexual assaults in Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana dating from 1992. He has been linked through his DNA to 6 of the cases, including a 2003 attack at the Grove City GNC store on Stringtown Road.

Def Robert Harris: Defendant was sentenced to two life terms for the murders of Gregory Guess 24, and Shana White 32, who were found murdered by gunshot wounds to the head on 9/11/06 in a sport-utility vehicle abandoned in a soybean field off Brice Road. Harris was brought back to Columbus after his arrest in Michigan.

Def Michael Rose: Defendant was sentenced in the case where he had left behind an approximate $100.00 tab at the Haiku Restaurant on N. High Street. Three victims were injured by the vehicle driven by Rose, two seriously, one paralyzed and one with significant brain injuries.  Defendant was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Def Joseph Bowers: This is a death penalty case from a 2003 homicide where a 10 year old daughter was in the home during the rape and murder of her mom. The defendant’s DNA was obtained after he was sent to prison for 2 drug offenses, and his DNA matched evidence collected at the homicide crime scene. DNA also matched a shirt discarded at the scene of another robbery that year in a Meijer parking lot.  Defendant pled guilty and agreed to the sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.