Displaying items by tag: Ohio Attorney General

(City of Akron) The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, awarded  the City of Akron a 3-year Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) grant. The purpose of the grant is to develop a multidisciplinary working group that will be trained in a victim centered, trauma informed approach to review, prioritize, investigate, and prosecute sexual assault cold cases.

The grant will provide for:

• Personnel to support a 3-year program including 3 investigators and partial funding for an administrative assistant, a victim advocate, and a prosecutor
• A case management system database specifically designed for cold case SAK investigations and compatible with those used in the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office and the City of Akron Prosecutor’s Office
• Technology and supplies to increase the efficiency of investigations 

Chief Kenneth Ball, Akron Police Chief, states, “The Akron Police Department is thrilled to receive this grant. The process was very competitive.  Our selection represents an organizational goal of providing the very best services for crime victims and our community.  There are still challenges ahead, but this is a very positive step toward securing justice in these cases.”

Currently, APD doesn’t have adequate staffing to support a comprehensive response to cold case sexual assault cases. Beginning in 2012, the Akron Police Department began assessing every sexual assault kit collected since 1993 in order to submit or re-submit the kits for DNA testing under the 2011 Ohio Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Kit (SAK) Testing Initiative. All SAKs in APD’s inventory were submitted and returned.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) has tested and returned 1,822 tested sexual assault kits (SAKs) to the Akron Police Department (APD)—847 of which returned a CODIS eligible profile—from cases 1 year or older. 975 kits did not return a DNA profile, but additional evidence (clothing, linens, etc.) may exist that could be tested. There is a great need to provide follow up investigation for all kits and—where possible and desired by the victim—prosecution.

Mayor Dan Horrigan added, “This is an amazing accomplishment for our Akron Police Department. This will allow us to better meet the needs of victims of sexual assault and truly hold their abusers accountable.”

Two employees of the Ohio Attorney General's Office have resigned, after a reported incident involving Macedonia police.

The AG's Office says that resignation happened after a review of the incident, and that the employees were in "leadership positions" - and were being investigated over allegations that their personal conduct affected their abilities to manage.

NewsChannel 5 reports that there were two employees involved, a female law enforcement training officer and a male special agent, both who had worked for the AG's office for many years.

Few details are available about what started the internal review.

(Ohio Attorney General's Office, release to WEWS NewsChannel 5) The Ohio Attorney General's Office learned of a recent incident involving two employees and Macedonia Police. In the course of the Attorney General's Office initiating a review of that incident, the two employees resigned earlier today.

The two employees were formerly in leadership positions in their respective sections. In July 2015, the two employees were confronted by the Attorney General's Office with allegations that their personal conduct affected their management abilities. In response, the employees requested voluntary demotions. Our Human Resources Section did not receive a formal complaint regarding this previous behavior, nor did the allegations claim that the conduct occurred on Attorney General's Office property or on office time.

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On the Web: WEWS NewsChannel 5, www.newsnet5.com

A Medina propane company is being sued by the Ohio Attorney General's office, which says it misrepresented services and failed to deliver propane to Ohio customers.

The A-G's office says 38 customers in the past eight months have complained about Thrifty Propane about not receiving propane, propane tanks or refunds.

The office says the lack of propane deliveries left some customers in the cold - literally.

(Ohio Attorney General's office, news release) Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today announced a lawsuit against Thrifty Propane for misrepresenting its services and failing to deliver propane to consumers across the state.

In the lawsuit, the Attorney General accuses Thrifty Propane of violating Ohio's Consumer Sales Practices Act and seeks restitution for consumers plus an end to any violations of Ohio's consumer laws.

"Many Ohio families rely on propane to heat their homes, and they rightly expect to receive the propane they pay for," Attorney General DeWine said. "In this case, we found a pattern of people who didn't receive what they were promised. We are filing this action to protect consumers."

Thrifty Propane sells propane and propane tanks to consumers throughout Ohio and in surrounding states. It offers various delivery and payment programs, such as allowing consumers to pay fixed rates in advance or to have their tanks automatically filled when the tanks reach a certain level.

In the past eight months, the Ohio Attorney General's Office has received 38 complaints against Thrifty Propane. Consumers generally cited problems receiving propane, tanks, or refunds.

According to the Attorney General's lawsuit, Thrifty Propane at times failed to deliver propane or propane tanks within the timeframe it promised, causing some consumers to be unable to heat their homes or to have to buy propane from other suppliers at an additional cost. The lawsuit also alleges that consumers frequently were unable to get through to Thrifty Propane on the phone, and that some had to contact the Attorney General or Better Business Bureau for help resolving their complaints.

The Attorney General's complaint, filed in the Medina County Common Pleas Court, names Thrifty Propane Inc., Thrifty Propane Northern Ohio Inc., and Thrifty Propane Columbus Ohio Inc. as defendants.