Tuesday, November 27th, 2007

Local law enforcement arrest 13 drug suspects

By Margie Wuebker
Thirteen drug suspects were rounded up Monday as the Grand Lake Drug Task Force executed warrants in Mercer, Auglaize and Shelby counties as well as several Indiana counties.
The roundup began with a 5:30 a.m. briefing before eight teams of two officers each hit the streets. The first suspect was brought to the Mercer County Jail within an hour.
Six individuals remain at large, but Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey told The Daily Standard it is only a matter of time before they, too, wind up behind bars.
"If they didn't get picked up Monday, they should be looking over their shoulder," he added. "There are more arrests coming."
A Mercer County grand jury returned indictments against 20 people at its Nov. 14 sessions. The indictments contained a total of 60 drug-related counts involving offenses dating back to January.
The crackdown, which has been in the planning for sometime, came at a time when the local jail is literally bursting at the seams. Nine inmates already were being held in other counties at the time, and the jail population on Monday morning was grouped in cells to make room for the new arrivals.
Arrested Monday were:
• Corey A. Bensing, 20, 525 S. Walnut St., Celina, three counts of trafficking in marijuana, all fifth-degree felonies. The offenses occurred three times in April.
• Kyle D. Blake, 21, 820 Hemlock St., Celina, five counts of trafficking in marijuana, all fifth-degree felonies taking place in March.
• Alberto Cervantes, 33, 12008 state Route 81, Rockford, two counts of trafficking in cocaine, both fifth-degree felonies taking place in January, and one count of trafficking in methamphetamine, a fourth-degree felony which also occurred in January.
• Aaron P. Chapman, 19, 6055 Meyer Road, Celina, three counts of trafficking in marijuana, all fifth-degree felonies occurring in March, and one count of trafficking in methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), a fourth-degree felony taking place in May.
• Jonathon R. Dulebohn, 27, 223 S. Ash St., Celina, one count of trafficking in a counterfeit controlled substance, a fifth-degree felony. Authorities seized his 2004 Pontiac Sunfire allegedly used in the February offense.
• Charles D. Hawkey, 19, 319 Leona St., Celina, three counts of trafficking in marijuana, all fifth-degree felonies taking place in February and March, and one count of trafficking in marijuana in the vicinity of a juvenile, a fourth-degree felony reportedly occurring in April.
• Trey Huber, 23, 608 S. Wayne St., St. Marys, one count of trafficking in a counterfeit controlled substance, a fifth-degree felony occurring in April. The arrest was made in St. Marys.
• Anthony L. Petaway, 29, 819 South St., Celina, two counts of trafficking in crack cocaine in the vicinity of a juvenile, third-degree felonies allegedly occurring in August, and one count of trafficking in crack cocaine in the vicinity of a juvenile in an amount exceeding 5 grams, a second-degree felony also taking place in August.
• Elaine N. Trigo, 24, 9554 U.S. 127, Celina, three counts of trafficking in marijuana, all fifth-degree felonies taking place in January and March, and one count of trafficking in marijuana in the vicinity of a juvenile, a fourth-degree felony allegedly committed in March.
• Tonya J. Harris, 20, of Portland, Ind., two counts of trafficking in marijuana within the vicinity of a school, both fourth-degree felonies taking place in January and February. She was picked up by Jay County Sheriff's deputies and is awaiting extradition to Ohio.
• James Tinsley, 52, of Fort Wayne, Ind., one count of trafficking in marijuana in an amount exceeding 200 grams, a fourth-degree felony occurring in January. He was picked up in Allen County, Ind., and is awaiting extradition to Ohio.
• William Curtis Pleasant, 22, of Sidney, one count of trafficking in Oxycodone in an amount exceeding five times the bulk amount in the vicinity of a juvenile, a first-degree felony that reportedly occurred in April, and three counts of trafficking in marijuana, all fifth-degree felonies reportedly taking place in February and March. The arrest was made in Sidney by Task Force officers, Mercer County Sheriff's deputies and Sidney Police.
• Amber N. Yingst, 22, of Sidney, one count of trafficking in Oxycotin in an amount exceeding five times bulk in the vicinity of a juvenile, a first-degree felony. Her arrest in Sidney came as a result of the efforts of the three law enforcement agencies listed above.
The suspects are expected to make initial appearances later this week in Mercer County Common Pleas Court.
Additionally, one suspect has been deported to his Mexican homeland in connection with an unrelated incident in Darke County. Indictments charge him with one count of trafficking in cocaine in an amount exceeding 10 grams, a third-degree felony, and one count of trafficking in cocaine in an amount exceeding 10 grams within the vicinity of a juvenile, a second-degree felony. Both offenses allegedly occurred in January here in Mercer County. The court paperwork will be served in the event he returns to the United States, according to Grey.
The Grand Lake Drug Task Force is a joint effort of the Mercer County Sheriff's Office, the Auglaize County Sheriff's Office and all police departments in both counties. Also assisting with the investigation was the Allen County Sheriff's Office in Lima.
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The first two years of the Chris Bihn era at Celina have been tough as the Bulldogs have gone just 14-28 with a pair of first-round exits from the postseason, but Bihn has cautious optimism heading into this season.
The Celina girls basketball team may not be considered the favorite to win the Western Buckeye League this year in the preseason, but by the end of the year the Bulldogs are hoping to be in contention.
Coldwater boys basketball coach Mike Kanney will have awhile to prepare for the start of the basketball season.
With the success of the football te
The 2007-08 basketball season might be considered a rebuilding year for the Coldwater Lady Cavaliers.
The squad went 10-13 last season, but caught a wave of momentum at the end of the season and advanced to the district finals, losing to eventual state runners-up Delphos St. John's.
Last year, Fort Recovery was blessed with a young, but experienced, roster.
A year later after going a competitive 12-9, Brian Patch has the core group from last season back, with just two of the players being seniors.
After a season where they were denied a trip to the regionals on a last-second shot, the Fort Recovery girls basketball team will have a different complexion this season.
MARIA STEIN - The Marion Local Flyers boys basketball squad will once again be short on preparation time, but with a solid core of players returning, they hope to have the talent and experience to make up for it.
MARIA STEIN - The Marion Local Lady Flyers endured a tough season a year ago but look to improve immensely this year with most of their key contributors returning.
Through the years, Minster head coach Mike Lee has developed a reputation of molding his game plan to suit his returning personnel.
With the loss of a pair of talented guards from last season, the Wildcats look to institute patience on offense, while utilizing a stable of depth in the paint.
When looking ahead to the girl's basketball season in the Midwest Athletic Conference each winter, it's hard not to throw Nann Stechschulte's Minster Wildcats into the title mix on a yearly basis.
Veteran New Bremen boy's basketball coach Mike Ernst has quietly built a solid basketball program in southwest Auglaize County as his Cardinal squad looks to come up with a fifth consecutive winning season.
Veteran New Bremen girl's basketball coach Dave McFeely hopes to continue a trend in his third year in charge of the program.
In his first year, th
Last season for Parkway's boys basketball program was a year where the most valuable person was the team trainer.
Injuries to two key starters put a snag in what looked to be a solid season and saw the Panthers finish at 6-15.
Things are looking up for the Parkway girls basketball team.
After going 1-20 last season, with the win coming in the Division III sectional, Parkway has worked to start this season on a high note.
St. Henry boy's basketball coach Joe Niekamp has a lot of optimism for the upcoming season.  
The Redskins did lose five seniors - all starters - fr
St. Henry girl's basketball coach Charlie Maier has reason for a lot of optimism coming into this season.
The veteran coach believes the Redskins have the potential to succeed after St. Henry played a lot of youngsters and went 5-15 in 2006.
Second-year St. Marys boys basketball head coach Paul Sadler doesn't have the luxury of building around the best individual player in the Western Buckeye League this year.
With just one player lost to graduation from a year ago, the St. Marys girls basketball team is optimistic about this season.
The Roughriders have a strong core to build around as head coach Tim Niekamp is excited about the possibilities.
After last year's district runner-up season, the Versailles boy's basketball team will look to retool this season.
The Tigers have just two letterwinners, one being a starter, back from last season's 14-9 campaign under head coach Scott McEldowney.
Last year Versailles made it to the Division III final four at the state tournament in Columbus, losing to eventual state champion Cleveland Central Catholic and Ms. Basketball winner Jantel Lavender.
Success in the pool is nothing new for Celina, but Bulldogs swim coach Matt May is expecting a banner year for his Green and White this season.
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The Marion Local swim team is looking to turn improved numbers into an improved team effort this year. With the number of participants jumping from 12 last year to 20 this year, second-year coach Candace Schwieterman believes her team can get back to the levels it was a few years ago.
Minster swimming coach Carla Walter is prepared for another exciting season in the pool, as her squad looks to replace a lot of talent lost to graduation a year ago on both the boy's and girl's side.
Veteran New Bremen swim coach Cresta Ritter is looking forward to the 2007-08 season as a possible breakout year for the program as she returns several talented swimmers from both squads that each had district qualifiers a year ago.
It's going to be a wait and see attitude this year for St. Marys swimming as graduation hit the Roughriders hard leaving plenty of question marks heading into the season.
After an exceptional run last season, Celina comes into this wrestling season with a number of experienced wrestlers from a team that placed second in the dual-meet season and third in the Western Buckeye League tournament.
As has been the case for the last several years, Coldwater wrestling coach Chuck Alig is in a bit of a holding pattern.
The success of the football team has delayed getting his full team together.
St. Marys wrestling coach Larry Gruber has a number of experienced wrestlers coming into this season, but like many coaches, just needs to know which weight class they will be wrestling.
Versailles wrestling coach Bill Roll has 20 wrestlers in his system this season. Although numbers may be a tad down, the Tigers have an experienced group that features several state veterans from a team that did place third at the Covington Sectional last season.
The first varsity season for Versailles swimming could be deemed a success.
Getting a first-team All-Ohio swimmer in the first season, as well as success at the district level, has coach Shawn Agne confident that success can continue for the Tigers in the pool.