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This Is What Our Town Is Becoming

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Printed Date: May 16 2024 at 1:03am


Topic: This Is What Our Town Is Becoming
Posted By: VietVet
Subject: This Is What Our Town Is Becoming
Date Posted: Jul 13 2012 at 6:44am
Today's Journal....

Newspaper website helps lead to arrest in Captain D’s robbery

MIDDLETOWN — The man police say robbed a fast food restaurant this past weekend turned himself in after a friend saw his photo on MiddletownJournal.com.

Police say Daniel Green, 56, of Central Avenue, turned himself in to police Thursday, for the robbery Sunday evening at Captain D’s, 804 S. Breiel Blvd


Police: 12-year-old kept in Middletown basement
Girl was tied up and fed only cereal for month; parents charged

MIDDLETOWN — A father and stepmother are accused of locking their 12-year-old daughter in a Middletown basement for nearly a month, tying her up and feeding her only cereal.

The couple have been charged with kidnapping, a first-degree felony, and child endangering, a third-degree felony, according to police.

Middletown police said an anonymous complaint led Butler County Children Services this month to investigate Shawn Blackston, 40, and Joanna Blackston, 36, who live at 1606 Philadelphia Ave. The complaint was that the couple were allegedly abusing one of their six children

After Children Services staff members saw the “deplorable living conditions,” Middletown police were notified on July 3, said Lt. Scott Reeve

Reeve said the girl, a sixth-grader in the Middletown City Schools District, had been allegedly locked in the basement since June 18, about a month after her last day of school.

There were several locks on the outside of the door that led to the basement, Reeve said.

He said there was only a mattress in the unfinished basement, and the glass block windows were covered by sheets or wood, eliminating light from coming inside. One light bulb hung from the ceiling.

There was no bathroom in the basement, so the girl was let out of the basement when she needed to use the restroom, Reeve said.

Her only communication with her siblings was through floor boards and under the basement door, Reeve said

The girl was malnourished and dirty when found by officers, he said. She had scars on her back, arms and legs from what she said was previous abuse. She said her stepmother put duct tape over her eyes and mouth and bound her wrists behind her back. She hadn’t brushed her teeth in six months since her parents took the toothbrush away as punishment, she told investigators

IT WOULD APPEAR, AS TIME GOES BY, WE HEAR MORE AND MORE STORIES LIKE THIS FROM VARIOUS PARTS OF OUR TOWN. COULD IT BE ATTIBUTED TO THE TYPES OF PEOPLE WE ARE DRAWING WITH OUR "LOW INCOME" TOWN THEME? DUNNO. THESE TWO LOSERS CAME FROM ELSEWHERE. IN ADDITION TO HEARING STORIES WHERE OUTSIDE INFLUENCES ARE INVOLVED IN CRIME, WE READ ABOUT THEFTS OF COPPER, LAWNMOWERS....ANYTHING METAL TO SELL AT THE LOCAL JUNKYARD AND WE READ STORIES OF ABUSE LIKE THIS. THE PARENTS SHOULD NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY. THE REMAINING KIDS WOULD BE BETTER OFF NOT BEING AROUND "PARENTS" LIKE THIS EVEN IF THEY WERE NOT ABUSED AS THIS 12 YEAR OLD WAS. SOCIETY IS GOING TO HELL IN A HANDBASKET IN MANY RESPECTS AND THE RAMPANT CRIME APPEARS TO BE MORE THAN OUR "KINDER/GENTLER" METHOD OF PUNISHMENT CAN HANDLE. TIME FOR SOME REAL PUNISHMENT. TIME TO START DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY. JMO



Replies:
Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: Jul 13 2012 at 8:34am
man o man
I know the Captain D guy from down the street
nice, hard-working guy
his kids caused commotion at my place--he took care of them
can't believe it
 
the other story is unreal
 
our city has been like this for a long while
is like this every day
most of you simply aren't around to see it happening 24/7/365


Posted By: John Beagle
Date Posted: Jul 13 2012 at 9:24am
This isn't unique to our city or this period of time.

Wherever you go there will be dregs of society.
 
 
Notice the little girl in the lower rh side, she is holding up her index finger. She isn't convinced about being a dreg yet. But in a little while, she will join her sisters.
 


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http://www.johnbeagle.com/" rel="nofollow - John Beagle

Middletown USA

News of, for and by the people of Middletown, Ohio.


Posted By: arwendt
Date Posted: Jul 13 2012 at 9:46am
Reminds me of a story I head yesterday.

That being 1/3 of the countries welfare recipients live in California.

Middletown is well on it's way to become the next California. In more ways than one.


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“Sell not virtue to purchase wealth, nor Liberty to purchase power.” Benjamin Franklin - More at my http://wordsoffreedom.wordpress.com/ - Words of Freedom website.


Posted By: LMAO
Date Posted: Jul 13 2012 at 11:23am
I believe I heard that since January there has been 6 kids died in this great town.I can think of 3 just in the last couple of months.


Posted By: Bocephus
Date Posted: Jul 13 2012 at 6:29pm

22-year-old charged with having sex with a 14-year-old

By http://www.middletownjournal.com/services/staff/1317913.html - Updated 6:15 PM Friday, July 13, 2012

MIDDLETOWN — A 22-year-old Middletown man is in the city jail on a $10,000 bond after allegedly having sex with a 14-year-old girl.

Police say Christopher Ward, who is also of Marion, was caught having sex with the girl by her 18-year-old brother.

Around 3 p.m. on Wednesday the mother of the girl asked the brother to check on her, according to the police report. She told the mother she was going to be in the shower, but it has been running for an hour.

The brother told police that he heard the sound of her moaning from her bedroom, a room she shares with her mother. The door was not completely shut and he saw his sister and Ward having sex.

He immediately went downstairs and told his mom who called 9-1-1.

When police arrived, they went upstairs and knocked on the door. The girl came out of the room after a few minutes.

The girl was cited into juvenile court for being unruly, but a court date has not yet been set according to the Butler County Juvenile Court.

Ward was arrested for unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, a fourth-degree felony. A $10,000 cash or property bond was set Friday morning after his arraignment in Middletown Municipal Court. Ward is scheduled to appear back in court at 1:30 p.m. on July 20.

http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/crime/22-year-old-charged-with-having-sex-with-a-14-year-old-1404568.html - http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/crime/22-year-old-charged-with-having-sex-with-a-14-year-old-1404568.html

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2175 or michael.pitman@coxinc.com. Follow at twitter.com/mdpitman.

Formerly of Marion ? Could this be another pervert brought here by Middletowns section 8 give aways ?


Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Jul 13 2012 at 10:13pm
Originally posted by VietVet VietVet wrote:



COULD IT BE ATTIBUTED TO THE TYPES OF PEOPLE WE ARE DRAWING WITH OUR "LOW INCOME" TOWN THEME? DUNNO.

DUNNO?  MY ASS

Pacman


Posted By: bumper
Date Posted: Jul 14 2012 at 12:08pm
made a return trip to middletown few days ago, to Baker-Stevens-Parramore Funeral Home, my aunts passing, on the way there i had to shake my head, more than once,getting there i turned onto Iglhart, some guy standing in the middle of the street looking down in a daze, came up on him slowly and damn near had to blow horn , he looks up with that DUH look and gets out of the way then there on Manchester across the street from the funeral home, 2, can't say  ladies !! one sitting on steps with her top half hanging out in short shorts with a whole alot of leg, way more than her share IMO, the other sitting on the grass  in short shorts with legs wide open.. it was nothing purdy about it!! then seen 2 guys pass each other, stopping and hand  passing something??  the touble of this is, i have more aunts and uncle's  that are in their 70" and 80's and at their passing will be using this fine funeral home someday.. the city i once enjoyed is now the city i really can't stand to return to.. i really hate to be negitive on middletown, just calling it what im seeing, and its nothing good..  Originally posted by VietVet COULD IT BE ATTIBUTED TO THE TYPES OF PEOPLE WE ARE DRAWING WITH OUR "LOW INCOME" TOWN THEME? DUNNO. im with PAC on this one!!  MY ASSLOL



Posted By: Bocephus
Date Posted: Jul 14 2012 at 5:40pm
Looked up the owner of this property seems its owned by some management company with a Franklin mailing address,could it be more section 8 ?
 

Police investigate shots fired into Middletown home

By http://www.middletownjournal.com/services/staff/1045388.html - 3:48 PM Saturday, July 14, 2012

MIDDLETOWN — Detectives are investigating a drive-by shooting late Friday in which no injuries are reported.

Around 11 p.m., Middletown police responded to 3515 Poinciana St. and determined that 10 rounds had been fired toward the home.

Police said five rounds hit the home. Several residents were inside the home at the time of the shooting but no one was injured.

Police said witnesses reported seeing a suspicious dark colored Pontiac G6 traveling slowly in the 3400 block of Poinciana without its headlights on.

Middletown detectives are investigating and no motive has been determined for the shooting.

Anyone with information on the incident can contact Detective Tom McIntosh at (513) 425-7785.

This is the second shooting Middletown police have investigated at this residence this summer.

On June 18, a man who was visiting the residents reported he was fired at — but not struck — outside the home after an argument broke out between a group of individuals who had been arguing earlier in the night at The Jug on Central Avenue.

A 28-year-old Middletown man was later charged in the incident.

http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/crime/police-investigate-shots-fired-into-middletown-home-1404898.html - http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/crime/police-investigate-shots-fired-into-middletown-home-1404898.html


Posted By: greygoose
Date Posted: Jul 15 2012 at 11:22am
Pacman,

As a general statement, I agree that many of these problems are poverty related and would like to see something done to curb it. However, the big question is what should be done? I believe that Middletown's higher than average poverty levels can be atributed to past mistakes made by the city's leadership (expansion of Section 8 vouchers) and the overall bad economy.

These problems will not lessen unless the poverty levels are decreased. Again, the big question is "how to decrease the poverty levels". One idea is to force the poverty to move elsewhere. Since HUD will not allow a reduction in vouchers, I am a proponent of ridding our town of housing that is "typically" used for the less fortunate.

I am not advocating that we put the less fortunate on the street. I am suggesting that, over time, there will be a natural migration to more affordable housing located outside of this city. Obviously, it will take more than this..... but I would like to see it as one of the building blocks of the city's future.

GG

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"If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got"


Posted By: Bocephus
Date Posted: Jul 15 2012 at 1:27pm
Originally posted by greygoose greygoose wrote:

Pacman,

As a general statement, I agree that many of these problems are poverty related and would like to see something done to curb it. However, the big question is what should be done? I believe that Middletown's higher than average poverty levels can be atributed to past mistakes made by the city's leadership (expansion of Section 8 vouchers) and the overall bad economy.

These problems will not lessen unless the poverty levels are decreased. Again, the big question is "how to decrease the poverty levels". One idea is to force the poverty to move elsewhere. Since HUD will not allow a reduction in vouchers, I am a proponent of ridding our town of housing that is "typically" used for the less fortunate.

I am not advocating that we put the less fortunate on the street. I am suggesting that, over time, there will be a natural migration to more affordable housing located outside of this city. Obviously, it will take more than this..... but I would like to see it as one of the building blocks of the city's future.

GG
 
Redistribution of wealth work for you? I think when You give people freebies long enough that they become used to getting them and unwilling to try so that may be where part of the problem is on the other hand the people that truly need help shouldn't have the rug pulled from underneath them and a lot of times people that could use the help can't get it because they actualy have jobs and make too much money.


Posted By: TonyB
Date Posted: Jul 15 2012 at 2:31pm
greygoose,

You don't decrease poverty levels by having those in poverty "migrate" to somewhere else. That just shifts the problem to another community. If you really want to eliminate poverty, why not try providing meaningful and gainful employment? I can't believe that you just suggested sweeping the poverty under the rug and we'll pretend it doesn't exist anymore!!! You want to "force" those in poverty to move elsewhere? How about trying to lift them out of poverty?

Bocephus,

The "freebie" argument isn't the problem as much as those lousy paying jobs. When it doesn't change your situation to take a low wage job, most people will resort to taking what they are given. Give them a job that will lift them out of the "hand-out" mentality, and things will change.


Posted By: Bill
Date Posted: Jul 15 2012 at 4:54pm
TonyB, would you also like to solve world poverty, global warming, and world peace while you're at it?

The only possible accomplishment with regard to Sec 8 is to disperse them.  If we can get 20-40% of the Sec 8 rolls to eventually move elsewhere, we MIGHT see some improvement in the crime, fire runs, and appearance of town.  Yes, jobs are key.  but your sentiment that we need do nothing about the Sec 8 problem and just work on bringing in more jobs is, to put it kindly, not realistic.


Posted By: TonyB
Date Posted: Jul 15 2012 at 6:29pm
Bill,

No where did I say to do nothing about Section 8 housing. The comment was made to just have those in poverty move somewhere else. That, certainly, does not solve the problem of poverty. giving people opportunity to lift themselves out of poverty with gainful employment does. Why don't we just make all the Section 8 vouchers and anyone else in poverty live in the same area of town. Then we can put a fence around it so they can all stay over there and away from everyone else. It'll be great, we'll call it a GHETTO!!!

You are not going to solve the problem by "making it go away". There wouldn't be this many vouchers if the need wasn't there. Are there too many? Yes. The idea that we'll just send them someplace else just passes the problem along and is not, to put it kindly, realistic.

BTW, I'd be happy to take a crack at those other problems as well. Better to do something than pretend they either don't exist or do nothing at all!


Posted By: lrisner
Date Posted: Jul 15 2012 at 6:58pm
Tony....don't waste your time arguing with these guys about section 8.

Middletown is what it is for a variety of reasons and won't change for a long time. All you brain surgeons are not the miracle workers you think, as a matter of fact, you really are no better than judy and her gang. Your ideas are just as self centered as is those held by the judy crowd. Your just mad because THEY are getting their way and not you.

I have it before  and will again......a 30% cut across the board and elimination of ALL non essential services solves many problems.

BUT...you all still want YOUR neighborhood covered by great Cops and Fire. You still want YOUR pet "fest" to continue. If you are serious and just not  a bunch of blow hards then join the "reality" band wagon.

Nah........non of you want that, huh?  You all just want the hay day back even if means having a Municipal Workforce that is second tier Citizens by virtue of their low pay.


Posted By: greygoose
Date Posted: Jul 15 2012 at 9:06pm
Bocephus,

What’s with the redistribution of wealth comment? I happen to agree with your assessment that long term freebies contribute to the problem but where do you draw the line? It sounds like you draw the line with jobs. What if a person can’t get a job due to a disability or they are over 50 with a pre-existing health condition. It is truly a tough call. I know of good individuals that would be devastated by a cut in assistance but I also see the rampant abuse that bugs us all.

TonyB,

Remember that my comment was made in regards to reducing crime, not poverty. My point is that there is a direct correlation between crime and poverty and crime won’t go away until poverty does. Because of a multitude of reasons, Middletown has more than its “fair share” of poverty. I was just suggesting migration as a quicker way to lessen the burden. I agree that it doesn’t solve the poverty issue. Education and resulting jobs are the long term solution.

Irisner,

Who licked the sugar off of your cookie? Do you realize that this is a forum where ideas are exchanged. It seems kinda silly to tell someone on a message board not to waste his time talking to other members.....duhhhhh. It’s pretty clear that the only idea that you want to hear is your own. Next time you can express your opinion to a recorder so that you can play it back & listen to yourself.


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"If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got"


Posted By: greygoose
Date Posted: Jul 15 2012 at 9:14pm
Irisner.... Free Your Mind



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"If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got"


Posted By: TonyB
Date Posted: Jul 15 2012 at 9:49pm
greygoose,

If I missed the point of your post, it was because the word "crime" wasn't in it. There are many problems with poverty, crime wasn't one I saw in your post. It is my opinion that all of the other related problems are caused by poverty. Eliminate the poverty and you are well on your way to solving those other problems. Gainful employment with a living wage seems (to me) to be the answer. If you don't have that, all you are doing is shuffling the problem to somewhere else which isn't a solution to poverty.


Posted By: Bocephus
Date Posted: Jul 15 2012 at 10:43pm
Originally posted by greygoose greygoose wrote:

Bocephus,

What’s with the redistribution of wealth comment? I happen to agree with your assessment that long term freebies contribute to the problem but where do you draw the line? It sounds like you draw the line with jobs. What if a person can’t get a job due to a disability or they are over 50 with a pre-existing health condition. It is truly a tough call. I know of good individuals that would be devastated by a cut in assistance but I also see the rampant abuse that bugs us all.

TonyB,

Remember that my comment was made in regards to reducing crime, not poverty. My point is that there is a direct correlation between crime and poverty and crime won’t go away until poverty does. Because of a multitude of reasons, Middletown has more than its “fair share” of poverty. I was just suggesting migration as a quicker way to lessen the burden. I agree that it doesn’t solve the poverty issue. Education and resulting jobs are the long term solution.

Irisner,

Who licked the sugar off of your cookie? Do you realize that this is a forum where ideas are exchanged. It seems kinda silly to tell someone on a message board not to waste his time talking to other members.....duhhhhh. It’s pretty clear that the only idea that you want to hear is your own. Next time you can express your opinion to a recorder so that you can play it back & listen to yourself.
 
My redistribute comment came from what seems to be the political agenda of some of our chosen leaders some people seem to think that would fix everything.As far as having social programs for people who are down and out because of some uncontrolable circumstances I don't have an issue with or for the working poor who need the extra help no problem for me with that.What I don't like to see happening is individuals that could actualy work but instead they choose to sit on their cans and get food stamps,medical cards,section 8 housing and why not try to get on SSI or SSDI while they are at it I can name at least a few people that have gone this route. Or what about whole families that don't know anything but living off the social programs.Someone once said

“Give me a fish and I eat for a day. Teach me to fish and I eat for a lifetime.”

but its kinda hard to do when they dont wanna learn to fish so we just keep giving them fish.



Posted By: greygoose
Date Posted: Jul 15 2012 at 11:20pm
Bocephus,

We are on the same page. Because there is no time limit on the subsidy, it tends to "institutionalize" the recipients. Before a became a full time landlord, I was a hardliner on the subject. Now that I deal with tenants on a daily basis, my position has softened.

Although I have more empathy than I once did, I can't get past the fact that we are paying for these programs with money that we don't have. At some point (and I think it's getting close) the government is not going to be able to fund these programs and I try not to think of the consequences that these folks are going to face. I'm not trying to avoid the facts..... its just an "ugly conclusion" that my brain has a hard time processing.

GG

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"If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got"


Posted By: greygoose
Date Posted: Jul 15 2012 at 11:23pm
TonyB,

My bad.....in my brain, poverty related problems = crime. I should have stated it as such.

GG

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"If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got"


Posted By: Mike_Presta
Date Posted: Jul 16 2012 at 1:02am

Another problem is the way that “helping the needy” has evolved.

Back in the days of yore, when people in your community needed help and you saw the actual need, you gave (let’s say) $100, it was all handled locally, and the needy persons received $100 worth of help.  In addition, the donor was allowed to take a tax deduction, so $100 worth of actual help received ended up costing the donor only perhaps $65 to $90 (depending upon the donor’s tax bracket).

Nowadays, the government wants to take care of everyone via government programs financed by taxes.  One of the problems is, every $100 you pay in taxes earmarked for the “needy” has to go through several layers of expensive bureaucracy—both on the way to, and the way back from Washington.  By the time it gets back to your community, there is only about $40 left, and perhaps $15 or $20 of that goes to people who are “gaming” the system.

Sure, progress is great and there are wonderful new things and methods discovered every day.  But when it comes to helping the needy, perhaps the old way truly was better.



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“Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012


Posted By: arwendt
Date Posted: Jul 16 2012 at 9:09am
Originally posted by Mike_Presta Mike_Presta wrote:

But when it comes to helping the needy, perhaps the old way truly was better.


Agree!!!

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“Sell not virtue to purchase wealth, nor Liberty to purchase power.” Benjamin Franklin - More at my http://wordsoffreedom.wordpress.com/ - Words of Freedom website.


Posted By: Hermes
Date Posted: Jul 16 2012 at 4:40pm
Middletown is not "becoming"....it already is and has been for some time now.Most people never see the "real" Middletown because of where they live and thats fine.So all most know is what they read and hear.But the truth is this town is a dump and getting worse by the day.The politicians running it are corrupt,the crime is out of hand and the courts only want to deal with people who have money.Slum lords are renting to anyone they can get a buck from including the criminal element and they do not care as long as money is coming in.People talk about section 8 as if it was a disease but some people have no choice.Why not do what Hitler done and build a wall with gates around the "hoods" so that way no one in the wealthy part of town will ever see anything that they consider "disgusting" and have the newspaper only print feel good stuff so those who are better off never have to read about the crime in the walled off ghetto.

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No more democrats no more republicans,vote Constitution Party !!


Posted By: LMAO
Date Posted: Jul 16 2012 at 10:19pm
Hermes I agree with most what you have said,But the part about slumlords is a little disturbing.Yes there is a few out there but there are also a few that give a damn about there renters AND the neighborhood they live in.I myself do a background check,ask for references,call there employer and also in my lease I have a clause in it that I can give them 72 hour notice I want to enter the house.Only thing I ask my renters to do is pay rent on time and dont make any changes to the house witout my permission.I take care of any repairs to the house and also have a lawn care person to take care of the grass and removes snow in the winter.On each of my properties (3) my neighbors on each side has my number if they have a complaint.I do my best to be that good landlord.Smile


Posted By: greygoose
Date Posted: Jul 17 2012 at 12:30am
LMAO

I really like your idea of giving your phone number to the neighbors of your tenants…… thanks for sharing it. I can see a few potential negatives, but the positives are definitely in the majority. Thanks again.

GG

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"If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got"


Posted By: Hermes
Date Posted: Jul 17 2012 at 11:58am
LMAO....If we had more landlord's like you the neighborhood's would be a better place for sure.I know of a house right now with 6 adults and 3-4 children living there with 4 windows boarded over with plywood and a backyard full of trash and who knows where the owner is.I've tried to locate the owner an had no luck.Lord only knows what the inside of the house is like.Funny part is police are fully aware of this house but absolutely nothing has been done by the city to correct it.

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No more democrats no more republicans,vote Constitution Party !!


Posted By: LMAO
Date Posted: Jul 17 2012 at 8:02pm
Originally posted by Hermes Hermes wrote:

LMAO....If we had more landlord's like you the neighborhood's would be a better place for sure.I know of a house right now with 6 adults and 3-4 children living there with 4 windows boarded over with plywood and a backyard full of trash and who knows where the owner is.I've tried to locate the owner an had no luck.Lord only knows what the inside of the house is like.Funny part is police are fully aware of this house but absolutely nothing has been done by the city to correct it.
Thank you.I know of a few that do as I do this is why we dont agree with are spineless ones when they want to dip into our pockets to pay to register our properties.We all know all properties are already register through the county.I heard through the great grapevines of Midletown that what our spineless ones eventually want to do is make the owner pay for a inspection everytime a new renter moves in.Which I dont know about any other landlord but before I signed my name to the deed I had the properties inspected.So again why would we want the spineless ones to pry into our bussiness when they cant even operate this city right? Go pick on the ones that negelect there properties and makes the neighborhood look bad.
Hermes you mentioned  you cant find the owner of the property if you like you can send me the addresse and I can try to find out.Usually you can go to the county records online and find out who owner is.Smile


Posted By: Hermes
Date Posted: Jul 18 2012 at 10:57am
LMAO....I appreciate the offer but the owner use to live at the address and never changed it when he left and rented the house so the property records show that address.I actually know the owner but where he went to I have no idea.I have searched for an address on him in vain and come up dry because I don't think he knows what type of renters he has and what they have done to his house.
As for the city wanting landlords to "register" their property,I think personally it's a good idea but not the way the city wants to do it.I don't think fee's are the way to go but I would agree with inspections and keeping track of the landlords,present address and so forth.


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No more democrats no more republicans,vote Constitution Party !!


Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Jul 18 2012 at 3:42pm
Well the hits just keep on a comin'....today's Journal....

Robbery leads to heroin arrests

While police were investigating an armed robbery inside an apartment complex on Roosevelt Boulevard, they found four people allegedly cooking and using heroin with two sleeping children nearby.

Police were called at 9:13 p.m. Thursday to the 4400 block of Roosevelt Boulevard after two Warren County men attempted to sell five iPhones

Police arrested Louis Lebow, 23, as well as Aaron Lebow, 26, and Josh Frame, 27, on suspicion of aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony. Louis Lebow was also charged with possession of drug abuse instruments and possession of drug paraphernalia; Frame was also charged with drug abuse.

All three were arraigned in Middletown Municipal Court last week and will have their preliminary hearings at 1:30 p.m. Friday.

Officers said while searching a neighboring apartment, they found four people, including Aaron Lebow and Frame, allegedly cooking, preparing and using heroin.

Josh and Krystina Brewer, both 20 and of Middletown, were arrested and charged with child endangering and permitting drug abuse. Both are first-degree misdemeanors.

Butler County Children Services removed two girls, ages 2 and 1, from their parents, Josh and Krystina Brewer, according to the police report. They were sleeping in the second apartment where the four were allegedly cooking and using heroin. Custody of the girls was given to their grandparents, and the Brewers were not permitted at the time to have contact with them

Ya just have to love the clientele we have as citizens in this city. The people from out of town don't do a bad job of lowering the standards for all of us either. Sure looks like the lower echelon attraction factor the city has for it's theme is hitting on all cylinders. Nice idea to grow a city.


Posted By: hatethistown
Date Posted: Jul 18 2012 at 8:22pm

 

Hermes

  I agree with all the way.  Section 8 and those that all low income is treated as the Plague a severe and potentially deadly infection. Some people, believe it or not, are trying to make an honest living but with the economy so bad the odds are against them. And because it seems like no one grows up now a days with the belief FAMILYS SHOULD STAY TOGETHER, There ends up being a lot of single parents out. Forced to care for the kids on one income, male or female. And with the economy as bad as it is it almost takes 2 incomes. Thank God for section for those people.

 Bocephus 

  I see your point that maybe since this town caters to the low income naturally the crime rate would be higher because of pure desperation alone. But I know of families with 2 working parents with great jobs, that their kids are just plain rebellious. Those same parents are taking that kid to court for breaking in a building and robbing it, or a shot out at a school.

 I do not see where low poverty caused wealthier kids to act out like that. The way I see it is are justice system , kids have no fear to do what they want ,parents are not allowed to discipline their kids  and when the child gets in trouble and the law is involved what do they get , a slap on the wrist ? You made the comment  Formerly of Marion ? Could this be another pervert brought here by Middletowns section 8 give aways? “ ????? not sure what you mean??????  Section 8 is suppose to check what type of people they are housing, but LMAO your seem to be one of the better Landlords here , The Landlords should do their part because they have the right to refuse a tent even if section 8 approved them .  Such as perverts or those with any previous record. That is not going to stop these low lives from rolling into any neighborhood



Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Jul 21 2012 at 9:57pm
Tony B,

Let Me Run Out To The Garage To Get My Shovel, In Fact I Might Need Two.

PacmanCool


Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Jul 21 2012 at 10:02pm
You want to solve the crime problem downtown then you need flood the area where the crime is and take a zero tolerance approach.  Now I realize we are short of Police, but if you want to clean up the downtown, we DO NOT need more Art Galleries, more Fancy Resteraunts until you get crime and poverty under control. 
Two ways to reinforce current Police numbers would be to work a deal with Sherifs Department or use reserve officers (whic many city's do).

PacmanCool


Posted By: bumper
Date Posted: Jul 22 2012 at 1:39pm
once again!!! WCPO.com NEWS   Victim pistol-whipped and shot at during robbery..

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio - Police are searching for two men they say robbed another man at gunpoint early Sunday morning.

Around 1:48 a.m., police were called to the area of Grove Street and Prospect Avenue after a report of several shots fired. The victim told police that he had been jumped by two men who had been hiding behind a fence. there goes that bright future.. damn shame... sure be nice if these two get caught, and have to end their BS by bustin a cap in their A$$..





Posted By: TonyB
Date Posted: Jul 22 2012 at 3:05pm
Pacman,

I'm not sure why you'd need to run to the garage to get a shovel unless you thought I was full of s***! While I'm amused at that, I think you'd be much more surprised at the solutions to some of the problems enumerated above that I would propose.

Flooding an area with police doesn't solve a crime problem; it just causes the crime to move to another area. There already should be a zero tolerance approach to crime. It's more now a matter of crime paying better than any job that can be had in town. When the cost of crime is higher than the reward, crime will go down.


Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Jul 22 2012 at 8:02pm
Tony B,

You are very perceptive.  Look at New York City which had a zero tolerance policy.  They flooded high crime areas and brought their crime rate under control.  Of course we could always use the old stand by like when I was a cop 30 yrs ago, We would drive the hookers to the city line and point them in the direction they were to travel and if they were to show their face in Middletown again they would be arrested.  Worked pretty well back then.  As far as Crime moving to other areas that is always going to be a fact of life.  And those other areas must deal with it.

Tony B, can you tell me where Middletown can get 3-4 thousand jobs and where they would put them?  It is not my job nor anyone elses in this town to find someone a job.  Nor to provide for them to live on someone elses dime. 

Many of these people aren't even interested in working, as you look around town there are jobs available that may suit them.  Are they 60k a yr jobs? NO, but they are jobs.

PacmanCool


Posted By: Bocephus
Date Posted: Jul 22 2012 at 9:50pm
"Many of these people aren't even interested in working, as you look around town there are jobs available that may suit them. Are they 60k a yr jobs? NO, but they are jobs."
You are right about that,sadly it seems lots of people wouldnt work if you begged them to take a job why should they?


Posted By: TonyB
Date Posted: Jul 23 2012 at 7:29am
Pacman,

I did not realize that you had been a policeman in Middletown for 30 years so I'd like to take the opportunity to commend your service and say thank you.

There is plenty of room in Middletown for 3 to 4 thousand jobs in this town. With all the abandoned and closed manufacturing areas and empty storefronts, it shouldn't be difficult to find a place. I do believe you are incorrect when you state that it isn't anyone's job to find jobs. Isn't that why the city has an Economic Development Department? Isn't it their job to bring jobs to Middletown.

As for the idea that there are lots of people who wouldn't work if there were jobs available, I'm not so sure. There are no doubt some who wouldn't work no matter what job was offered but for the most part, the jobs available and the skills of those who seek employment don't match up. No employer wants to hire unqualified workers and in many cases it would be foolish and sometimes even dangerous to let an unqualified worker on a job. Matching workers to jobs was once done by the state, now it's done by employment agencies.Perhaps as a condition of government assistance, those receiving aid should be on an employment agencies listing. Removing a person from assistance who won't work would more than likely result in this person resorting to crime but; quite frankly, those who can but won't work are a burden to society and if prison is the only way to get them to work, it should be considered.


Posted By: arwendt
Date Posted: Jul 23 2012 at 1:56pm
Originally posted by Bocephus Bocephus wrote:

"...sadly it seems lots of people wouldnt work if you begged them to take a job why should they?


And there you have it!

-------------
“Sell not virtue to purchase wealth, nor Liberty to purchase power.” Benjamin Franklin - More at my http://wordsoffreedom.wordpress.com/ - Words of Freedom website.


Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Jul 23 2012 at 7:34pm
Tony B,

I was not a Police Office in Middletown I was a Police Office in a southern state that was a right to work state.  Please tell me in detail where 3-4 thousand jobs will go in Middletown and who put them there?  Which major company's want to move into a city:

1 has a poverty rate of probably about 60% now
2 has housing values dropping faster than Niagra Falls
3 has poor educational system
4 poor roads and infrastructure system
5 high taxes
6 high crime
7 No ammenities to speak of
8 currently has 3000 or more dilipated homes that need to be demolished
9 has a city government which shows a lack of leadership
10 hows that ED department been working for us lately?

PacmanCool



Posted By: TonyB
Date Posted: Jul 24 2012 at 8:27am
Pacman,

I didn't say that there would be companies willing to come into town in its present circumstances. There is room for those jobs but I agree that it would take a colossal leap of faith for any company to come to Middletown. I also agree that the ED department has been less than successful. It still doesn't change the fact that if Middletown wants to reduce poverty and crime, they need to bring economic opportunities to its citizens. If the current leadership can't do the job, then it's clear we need new leadership. Correcting numbers 3, 4 and 5 on your list would certainly improve the chances of luring new business.

Sorry if I misunderstood where you were a police officer; that doesn't negate the thank you for your service.


Posted By: AKBobby
Date Posted: Jul 24 2012 at 8:35am
Originally posted by Pacman Pacman wrote:

You want to solve the crime problem downtown then you need flood the area where the crime is and take a zero tolerance approach.  Now I realize we are short of Police, but if you want to clean up the downtown, we DO NOT need more Art Galleries, more Fancy Resteraunts until you get crime and poverty under control. 
Two ways to reinforce current Police numbers would be to work a deal with Sherifs Department or use reserve officers (whic many city's do).

PacmanCool
 
the mpd does use reserves. A lot. They work all the parades, court security, jail transporting to other agencies. Saves them a fortune in salary and overtime. Also I get a kick how people always say Middletown needs to use the sheriffs office. U do know the Sheriff had to lay off over 30 employees recently and only has maybe 4 officers working the whole county on road patrol at a time dont you? They are in worse shape than any city in butler county.
 
come on guys do your homework.


-------------
AK - What is going on with that?


Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Jul 25 2012 at 1:01am
Would it be financially feesible to close the jail, close the court, get rid of the Judge, and Use Bobby's reserve officers to ferry the prisoners to Butler county Jail?

Just Wondering??
PacmanCool

Sheriff marketing jail space to generate revenue for Butler County

By Lauren Pack
               

Staff writer

Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones is the self proclaimed “King of the Jails” with space at his facility in a time when others have none.

The facility that holds 800 plus was built in 1999 and has produced millions of dollars for the county’s coffers, but the revenue is projected to go down about $1 million this year. That money is funneled into the county’s general fund and then used to provide county services.

The sheriff said the down turn in prisoner housing revenue is due to the political cycle, and the economy affecting not only how many officers on on the street to arrest people, but how much money a municipality can spend on housing them. But when one agency ends a contract, the department constantly looks for others.

Cash from boarding of prisoners is projected to be down about $1 million this year and about 20 percent in 2013, according to projections prepared by Assistant County Administrator Pete Landrum.

“Part of my responsibility is to be resourceful,” Jones said. “And resourceful I am.”

Jones and Chief Deputy Anthony Dwyer say they are actively marketing the jail to bring in new contracts and make up the dwindling revenue.

In 2010, boarding of prisoners created $6.3 million; last year $5.9 million and the forecast for 2012 calls for that number to shrink to $5 million.

“The jail is lucrative for the county and has continued to be so,” Dwyer said, “We are still making money. Revenue is higher than expenses … and we are looking for new contracts,” Dwyer said.

Dwyer said billing of the 33 entities with contracts to house prisoners, including federal government, state and regional law enforcement, is monitored daily.

Administrators have the ability to close and open jail pods and the Court Street Jail to adjust for increases and decreases in the jail population.

“We can mothball pods,” Dwyer said. And the facility with 10 pods that holds 848 inmates was built for easy expansion if needed.

Outside agencies are charged rates per prisoner per day based on number of inmates and the consistency bring prisoners to the county jail.

“The more sporadic the more problematic for use,” Dwyer said, noting it makes planning a budgeting a problem.

The going rate per day per prisoner is $53.20 a day for federal prisoners, $60 a day for outside agencies and $70 a day for those with out contracts that rarely house prisoners.

“When you buy in bulk, you get a discount,” Jones said. “It’s no different here. I run this like a company. I am the CEO of the company.”

Because Butler County is centrally located, it is convenient for many agencies. And they have the space when surrounding counties don’t. Dwyer said they now have contracts with smaller cities in Hamilton County because their jails are full.

Dwyer said it is fiscally responsible the department to seek revenue on prisoner housing.

“These are people who are going to be housed somewhere or they are not going to be housed at all,” he said. And generating $5 million in revenue for the county’s general fund means that much less in taxpayer burden.

Landrum said the down turn in revenue is a concern and a stress on the general fund, but he knows the department is doing everything it can to bring in new contracts.

“They do the best job of anybody at marking the jail,” Landrum said. “If anybody can, they can.”



Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Jul 25 2012 at 6:11am
Good analogy here......

Sheriff Jones is devising a program to fill the jails to provide revenue where revenue was lost from the state.

Our city leaders have already made some phone calls to HUD and the feds to ask that they send all the low income people, not wanted by other cities, to Middletown to provide revenue where revenue was lost from a combination of a poor economy and from the lack of any planning whatsoever by city leaders to replace the companies they have driven out of town in the last 30 years.

Jones's prisoners will sponge off the taxpayer for food, clothing and facilities to house them. City leader sponsored low income invitees will sponge off the taxpayer for part of their rent, excessive costs for any additional crime coming out of their areas of town, food stamps and other freebie handouts from us taxpayers.

Only difference....Jones' prisoners will be locked up and isolated. The city leader sponsored HUD folks will be free to roam and do whatever they do best....



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