Local News

An Orrville man will spend at least 15 years in prison for sexually abusing a five year old girl. 29 year-old Bryan Peck was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison Wednesday by Judge Corey Spitler. Peck was found guilty on charges earlier this year for sexually abusing the young girl in 2017. Peck, if released, will have to register as a Tier III sex offender for the rest of his life. Peck, who maintains his innocence, plans to appeal.

The Wayne County Board of Elections will swear in a new deputy director on Friday. Rich Corfman will be sworn in Friday, then take office Monday. Corfman takes over for Mario Dalessandro who resigned from the position back in March. Corfman is also being allowed to stay on Orrville City Council until his term expires at the end of the year.

Officials with the Wooster-Ashland Regional Council of Governments received an update of the potential consolidation of emergency dispatching in Wayne County. Since the last meeting between WARCOG and Wayne County Commissioners in February, efforts have been made to figure out where a potential consolidated dispatch center would be located. Two options are currently leading the way, the Wayne County Justice Center and WARCOG’s current dispatch space on the campus of Wooster Community Hospital. Both sides are still waiting on cost estimates for a full consolidation effort.

A Wooster man will spend eight years behind bars for committing two robberies last year. 19 year-old Kevin Gordon was sentenced to two eight year sentences by Judge Mark Weist Wednesday, with the two sentences running concurrent to each other. Gordon was found guilty of robbing the BellStores on Beall Ave. and also robbing a homeless Wooster man last year. Gordon will get credit for the 227 days he has already spent in jail.

A Bellville man has officially been indicted on three felony counts for shooting and killing a former Hillsdale grad. 28 year-old Jordan Skoog was indicted on counts of murder, involuntary manslaughter and reckless homicide in the shooting death of 19 year-old Austin Smiley last month. Skoog is currently being held at the Richland County Jail on $1 million bond. Skoog is set to appear in court May 2^nd at 2:30 p.m.

Authorities in Richland County are investigating a bomb threat after a threatening note was found Tuesday Morning at Crestview High School. The note was found at about 7:47 a.m. and the High School was evacuated, and students were taken to the middle school while a search was conducted. The all clear was given at about 9:00 a.m. and classes resumed as normal.

Officials in Dalton are looking to renovate their historic village hall. A special meeting was held this week to talk about the hall’s safety and what can be done to fix some structural problems.  Council members are now seeking repair estimates for the building, which was built back in 1895 and designated as a County Historical Landmark in 1998.

A trial date of March, 2020 has been set for former police officer Kenneth Saal’s lawsuit against the city of Wooster.  Saal was acquitted of misusing the state’s law enforcement database last year, but then terminated when he refused to show up for work following his trial.  Saal is seeking $1.5 million in punitive damages and more than $500,000  in compensatory and monetary damages.

The former Horn Nursing Home in Wooster will be going on the auction block next month at a reduced price.  There were no bidders on the abandoned building the last time it went up for auction, but this time around the opening bid will be $360,000, which is nearly $300,000 less than the asking price at the first auction.  The latest attempt to auction off the building will take place on the morning of May 22^nd.